US: Pennsylvania mandates meningitis C vax for college

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NOTE - " unless they sign a waiver. "

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http://www.phillyburbs.com/intellig...all/1612963.htm

Put meningitis vaccination on to-do list

By Joanna Mikulski

Staff Writer

Colleges are scrambling to notify students, who will have to foot the bill.

Pennsylvania law will soon require all college students who live in

dormitories to get a meningitis vaccination unless they sign a waiver.

As local colleges scramble to notify students and to comply with the law,

school health officials have mixed reactions to the new mandate.

Judith Wood, registered nurse and director of student health services at

Delaware Valley College in Doylestown Township, a school with 800

residential students, applauded the legislation that takes effect Aug. 23.

" It's a very nasty disease and it can spread...If we know that students

have the vaccination, we can be a little more confident, " said Wood.

Although she recommends that students get a meningitis shot, Ellen Sitron,

a nurse practitioner and director of student health services at Arcadia

University in Cheltenham, does not think that mandating the vaccination is

necessarily the way to go.

" To expect people to come back here in six weeks and get this done or not

get into the residence halls...It's ridiculous, " said Sitron, who says that

the university with 850 resident undergraduates has yet to formulate a

concrete plan to deal with the new law.

The legislation, signed on June 28 by Gov. Mark Schweiker, applies to both

public and private post-secondary educational institutions. Students who do

not want to get the vaccination for religious or other reasons can sign a

waiver, stating that they received information from the college or

university regarding the benefits of the immunization.

Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial infection of membranes around the

brain and spinal cord. The disease, which can be passed through kissing or

sharing cups or utensils, strikes about 100 college students annually

nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Bacterial

meningitis kills in roughly 10 percent of the cases and causes serious

damage in another 10 percent. Symptoms include fever, neck stiffness and

headache. A less serious viral form of the disease also exists.

Studies have shown that college students living on campus have greater risk

of contracting the disease than those off-campus.

" If we can prevent this disease in this population, then we should, " said

Sister McMahon, vice president for student services at Gwynedd

Mercy College in Lower Gwynedd. She does not expect compliance to pose a

large problem for the college, which has already campaigned extensively to

encourage its 400 residential students to get the shot.

Delaware Valley College, Arcadia University and Gwynedd Mercy College will

all notify students by mail. Records of the vaccination or waiver will

likely be kept with other required health documents for college students.

Both Delaware Valley College and Gwynedd Mercy College have provided the

vaccination at student cost on campus in the past.

Most school insurance plans do not provide coverage for the four-year

vaccine, although school officials believe that insurance companies will

soon begin to pay the $85 cost for the shot now that it has become mandatory.

Until then students will pick up the cost, and, at least for this year,

that gives Sitron cause for concern.

" When my daughter goes to school, she'll probably get the vaccine but

that's because we have an insurance plan and can afford it, " said Sitron.

McMahon, who also believes that some students will have difficulty paying

for the vaccination, says that the college will work with any student who

needs financial assistance.

Both McMahon and Wood noted that each year they see increasing numbers of

freshman who have voluntarily received the shot before their arrival on

campus.

At least 10 other states have passed laws mandating meningitis shots for

college students. According to the Department of Environmental Protection,

there were 12 cases of bacterial meningitis in the state in 2001. It did

not specify how many of those were college students.

Aventis Pasteur Inc., the sole maker of the meningoccocal vaccine, has told

school officials that it has enough supplies to handle the anticipated

increase in demand.

Joanna Mikulski can be contacted via email at

jmikulski@... 09, 2002

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

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