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UW-Madison Offers Free Vaccination For Type B Meningitis

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The University of Wisconsin-Madison recommends that all undergraduates get vaccinated against a form of potentially fatal meningococcal disease. Two students who contracted Type B meningitis have been admitted to the hospital.

The school is setting up a special clinic so that students can get what is otherwise an expensive vaccine for free. University Health Services made the recommendation for the campus-wide immunization measure after meeting with public health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the Journal Sentinel.

Sarah Van Orman, executive director of University Health Services, said, “We’re vaccinating 30,000 students for two cases, but this is a really, really devastating disease.” While they don’t want to cause a panic, Orman said,

We think this is a good opportunity to make sure there are no new cases. We want to be proactive.

The vaccine is fairly new and covers the B type of the bacteria, which most people are not vaccinated against. It’s a different strain that what is covered by routine meningococcal disease immunization generally given to adolescents 11 years old and up.

The disease is spread through direct contact with an infected person’s nasal or oral fluids, not through the air, food or water. Symptoms include high fever, stiff neck, confusion, headaches, vomiting or rashes. If not treated, the bacteria can cause swelling around the brain and spinal cord, or infect the bloodstream, leading to death.

Named Bexsero, the vaccine is a two-dose shot, meaning a second dose needs to be administered one month after the first. UHS will offer the first dose on campus and the second at its offices. Normal prices for the vaccine are $162.25 per dose, or $324.50 for both, but the CDC offered to provide the service at no cost to the university’s 30,000 students.

The students who were infected with the disease are expected to make a full recovery, and no new cases have been reported. All students who had contact with the patients were given antibiotics as a precaution, UWM stated. Health officials looking into the cases have determined that there is no connection between the two, as they lived in different areas and had no social or academic relationships.

Type B meningococcal disease has caused outbreaks on at least six college campuses since 2013, and the CDC is now reviewing guidelines on when a campus-wide vaccination should begin.

 

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