Why are college students at increased risk of meningococcal meningitis?
Long ago it was known that military recruits had as much as 25 times the risk of acquiring meningococcal disease as the general population. It was thought to be due to just being in close quarters. There have been a variety of studies to try to define exactly why college freshman are also at increased risk. It’s living, for perhaps the first time, in close proximity with other people of the same age group. Acquiring the infection depends on exposure to the bacteria, which can be in the nose and cause no symptoms, especially in young adults. There have been some studies in college students that have implicated alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and a variety of other factors that may affect the immune system. But the predominant risk factor is probably just an increase in exposure risk in that setting. Are there other risk factors? Your risk is certainly increased if you have a specific immune deficiency or if you’re in a household or a daycare setting, for example, where there’s an
