Why does the Student Health Center recommend the meningitis vaccine?
Meningococcal disease strikes about 3,000 Americans each year and is responsible for approximately 33 deaths annually. Although it is still a rare disease, about a third of the cases that have occurred have been on college campuses and 5 to 15 students die as a result each year. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention encourages colleges to inform undergraduate students about the risk of the disease and that a vaccine is available. Although George School is not a college, the fact that so many of our students are boarders makes our risk similar to a college campus.
