Dorm-bound college freshmen are urged to receive a new meningitis vaccine that will be available within the next few months, a federal government committee said this month.
Menactra, a longer-lasting vaccine, will be targeted toward at-risk groups such as children ages 11 to 12 years old, teens entering high school and college freshmen, said Bonnie Herbert, spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the new vaccine, which is made by Sanofi Pasteur, in January.
College students have the highest risk of contracting meningitis because of their close living quarters, Herbert said. Meningitis causes swelling in the lining of the brain and spinal cord, resulting in symptoms such as headaches, neck stiffness, nausea and can be fatal.
The vaccine Menactra is supposed to last from eight to 10 years, Herbert said.
Menomune, the current vaccine distributed by MSU's Olin Health Center, lasts three to five years.
Kathi Braunlich, spokeswoman for Olin Health Center, said the university already recommends students receive a meningitis vaccine.
"I guess we've taken it a step further than other schools because we have seen what can happen when people don't take the vaccine," Braunlich said.
There were less than 10 cases of meningitis in the last nine years at MSU, Braunlich said, adding that data was not collected in the prior years. Three cases were fatal.
"You hope that the vaccine is making a difference, but I think longer term will give us a better idea of how well it can protect the students," she said.
The University Physician's Office requires students to file an immunization history form upon enrollment and recommends the meningitis vaccine.
The disease kills about 10 percent of the about 3,000 people it affects each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Universities are doing what they can to not only protect students, but protect themselves," said T.J. Bucholz, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Bucholz said it is in the best interest of students to get the new vaccine if it becomes available.
"We feel to curtail any outbreak of meningitis, this vaccine is a good idea," Bucholz said. "It's a precaution certainly, but better safe than sorry."
