A New Requirement for College Students

Meningococcal meningitis, the type of bacterial meningitis the vaccine protects against, is an inflammation of the membranes that surround the spinal cord and brain. An average of 1,500 Americans are diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis every year and roughly 15% of cases reported affect those between the ages of 16 and 21. Of that 15%, one out of every seven cases, or 14%, result in death. Even for those that survive a bout of meningitis, 20% suffer some kind of long term consequence ranging from brain damage to the amputation of limbs. 

It was statistics like this that prompted the passing of Senate bill 1107. While the former law stated that only students living on campus were required to be immunized against meningococcal meningitis, this new law makes immunization a requirement for any student currently enrolled in a college or university, regardless of their living situation.

In order to help the effort to immunize all college and university students Brazos County Health Department, located at 201 North Texas Avenue in Bryan TX, is offering inexpensive meningitis immunizations until August 19th. The prices for the immunization are: $5 for children 18 years and under and $15 for those over the age of 18. Make sure you get in there before August 19th though, as the price for adult immunization will go up to $30.

The immunization clinic is open for operation Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30am – 11:30am, Tuesdays from 9am – 10:30am as well as 2pm – 5pm for adult immunizations only, and Fridays from 10am – 12pm. For more information, contact the clinic at 979-361-4440 or visit their website at www.brazoshealth.org. Whether you choose to take advantage of this opportunity or decide to get vaccinated elsewhere, get it done soon. Meningitis is a serious, potentially fatal disease that can strike almost without warning. The sooner you are safeguarded against it, the better.