Meningitis vaccine mandatory for La. first year students

The state of Louisiana has issued a mandatory meningitis vaccination for all first year college students due to the higher risk that new students have to catch this disease than any other group.
There are two types of meningitis, bacterial and viral. Even though meningitis is rare, it may be fatal because it affects the brain and spinal cord.
Someone can be infected with the disease, but not show any signs of it; however, they can still give it to another person because it’s highly contagious.
According to humanillness.com, meningitis is not passed through casual contact but by close contact with an infected person. Which includes living in the house with an infected person or dating an infected person. A person can contract meningitis through kissing, coughing and any other throat secretions.
Symptoms for meningitis include a sudden high fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness, drowsiness, eye sensitivity to light, muscle and/or joint pain or weakness, abnormal skin color, stomach cramps and ice-cold hands and feet. The most common breakouts of this disease are usually in college dormitories, military barracks and prisons.
The Department of Health and Human Services stated that there are two types of vaccines for meningitis. Even though the vaccines cannot prevent all types of this disease, it can assist in preventing at least four types.
The two types of vaccines are meningococcal polysaccharide and meningococcal conjugate.
“I did not get the vaccination because I do not live on campus and I do not interact with that many people who do,” said Jamar Milner, freshmen electrical engineering major from Alexandria.
Like other types of medication, the meningococcal vaccine has different types of side effects. The risk of dying from this vaccination is slim to none but there are some mild risks.
There are a small number of people who actually catch a fever. Another mild effect is the redness and pain in the area where the shot is given. However there have been a few serious cases of rapid allergic reactions from the shot.
“I was afraid to receive the shot at first, but I’d rather get the shot than suffer from a disease I do not know much about,” said Neisha King, freshmen criminal justice major from New Orleans.
Residential Housing is taking the necessary precautions to ensure that the students of Southern University get the vaccination. Letters have been mailed to all students residing on campus.
“It is extremely important that students receive the vaccination. To inform them, residential housing sent home a letter over the break giving the students information about the immunization,” said Marylin Hill, Southern’s Residential Housing director.
The letter was mailed to the students’ home addresses over the Christmas break. Information about the infection and how important it is for the students to receive the immunization was included in the letter.
“For the students who did not receive the letter, the information can be found on our website, www.subr.edu/housing,” said Hill.
For additional information about meningitis, contact a doctor or visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines. If you are experiencing symptoms of meningitis, take action and call a doctor.