Why are college students at great risk for meningococcal disease than the general population?
While the reasons are not yet fully understood, studies from previous college outbreaks suggest that college students are more susceptible because they live and work in close proximity to each other in residence halls and classrooms. Behavioral and social aspects of college life appear to be risk factors as well, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, risky sexual behaviors, and kissing, all increasing the chance that one will contract meningitis from an infected individual.
