Why should college students consider preventive vaccination with the meningococcal vaccine?
In the past, vaccination usually has been delayed until an outbreak of meningitis occurs. The problem with this strategy is that outbreaks, while rare, are clustered in time, and that the onset of these flu-like symptoms is extremely rapid. Often, one does not have characteristic symptoms of meningitis until it is too late for the vaccine to provide real protection. The American College Health Association (ACHA) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have recently recommended that all college students consider vaccination against meningitis. According to the ACIP research, the incidence of meningitis is “highest among freshman dormitory residents”.
