If I were to be working in a school
or a college one of the challenges I would have to face is meningitis. It’s a
pretty scary disease because it has a quick onset that can rapidly progress
from mild illness to shock. Two years
ago a junior at St. Lawrence University caught bacterial meningitis and was
treated successfully.
As in this article and as a medical care
provider in this situation, precautionary measures would have to set and
prophylactic antibiotic given to those that need them. An email was sent out to
surrounding colleges alerting the students about the incident and to get
vaccinated if they haven’t been. State law says that its up to the student
whether to be vaccinated or not, not that its mandatory. The vaccine is 90%
effective and protects against only 4 strains.
Meningitis is a preventable
condition that can be avoided with this vaccine and its highly recommended that
everyone receive the vaccine. Meningitis is common to places where there is
communal living, which is more likely with freshmen and sophomores.
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20110215/NEWS05/302159988
I think you're right that prevention is important. It might also be important to alert the community you live and work in to the symptoms of meningitis so that people can catch it before it progresses into shock and while the outcome is more favorable. Meningitis education could easily be integrated into something like orientation and students could learn the risks, the signs and symptoms as well as be offered the vaccine if they have not already been vaccinated against the disease.
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered why the meningitis vaccine is not uniformly required along with other routine childhood vaccines. Since it is highly effective against a very deadly disease, it seems like it should meet criteria for a mandatory vaccine. I know when I went to college in 2002 it was optional. I did notice when looking at my college health center website earlier today that the vaccine is now required for students by Vermont state law. However, I know Vermont also has a law allowing anyone to opt-out of required vaccinations for any reason, so I don't know how much this has actually impacted vaccination rates.
ReplyDeleteWhatever is going on with the vaccinations, more education definitely makes sense to help speed up detection. While it is a rare condition, the consequences are dire and swift. It's great to hear that the SLU student was successfully treated, I have read too many stories where students did not get treatment quickly enough.