A surprise letter from Olin Health Center came in the mail for chemistry sophomore Adam Bone on Monday.
The letter, which was sent to 2,300 people, informed Bone the meningitis vaccination he received six months ago was recalled.
Vaccine-maker Aventis Pasteur said in a statement that protection against type-A meningitis did not meet company standards and issued a recall, health center spokesperson Kathi Braunlich said.
Len Lavenda, a spokesman for the company, said the recall affects only single-dose vials of the vaccination and will not affect patients who received it from the multiple-dose vial.
"We are investigating to better understand the change in potency," he said. "Obviously we are very disappointed."
In January, graduate student Matthew Knueppel died of type-C meningitis. He was the third MSU student to die from the disease since 1996.
Meningitis is contracted through close oral contact, such as kissing or sharing a beverage with a person who has the disease.
According to a statement on the company's Web site, there is no immediate danger to patients in the United States.
"To the best of our knowledge, serogroup A disease does not circulate in the United States," the statement said.
New vaccinations will be paid for by Aventis Pasteur only if the patient is traveling to certain regions of Africa and Saudi Arabia, or working in lab conditions where they would be exposed to the disease.
But Bone said that's not good enough.
"You pay for a vaccine that's supposed to protect against diseases, and it doesn't work," he said. "I trust Olin, and this kind of damages their reputation."
Braunlich said the recall affects all clinics administering the vaccine, not just Olin Health Center.
Aventis Pasteur is the only company in the country to produce a meningitis vaccine, which protects against strains A, C, Y and W-135. Strain B is prevalent in the United States, but no vaccine has been produced to protect against it.
The viral and bacterial forms of the disease can be life-threatening when it infects the brain and spinal linings. Symptoms include fevers, headaches, rashes, neck and back stiffness and mental changes.
The meningitis vaccine is one of four recommended for incoming students, Braunlich said.
"It's an important vaccine, but MSU is not seeing any higher instance of meningitis than another area," she said.
