Texas: Mandatory meningitis shots for all newly enrolling college students

Austin American-Statesman ^ | August 20, 2011 | Andrea Ball

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Starting in January, newly enrolling students in public or private colleges under age 30 will be required to be vaccinated for meningitis.

The recently passed law targets all first-time and transfer students. Students can opt out of the requirement for health, religious or other reasons, but they need to file paperwork to do so. Students enrolled at online universities are also exempted.

With than 1 million Texans enrolled in higher education programs, the law is expected to affect several hundred thousand people across the state,..

Now colleges are increasing their efforts to make sure students get their shots and get into class on time...

Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective covering of the brain and spinal cord. The disease can lead to brain damage, seizures, coma, organ failure and death.

In 2009 , there were 336 confirmed cases of bacterial meningitis in Texas, the Department of State Health Services reports. Fourteen of those were in Travis County.

...."Eventually, this is going to be routine, one other step in enrollment," Christensen said. "But it's always difficult to change the culture, and we don't want students to suffer because of this."

Although insurance plans usually cover the cost of immunization, those without coverage may have trouble paying for a meningitis shot, which can cost more than $100, Mercer said. So administrators plan to connect students with local health clinics, nonprofits and other entities, which offer the shots for as little as $10.....

[PastorBooks]

Governor Gardisil strikes again!

Sarah, please save us!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

December 23, 2009: New Law Requiring Meningitis Vaccine For Dorm Residents Inspired By UT Student

........>>>Schanbaum was living alone in a North Campus apartment [Nov 2008] when she contracted the rapid-spreading disease. She had not been vaccinated.

The Daily Texan reported on her plight, which resulted in the amputation of both legs and six of her fingers. Schanbaum is now back at UT regaining her independence through the use of prosthetics. Earlier this month, she blogged a quick recap of her last year: from pleading with doctors to save as much of her limbs as possible last December to driving and walking to class today.

“This disease progresses extremely rapidly,” Sherry Bell, a spokeswoman for University Health Services, told the Daily Texan at the time. “You can be well one day and dead the next.”

Schanbaum and her family lobbied for the bacterial meningitis vaccine to be required rather than just recommended, as it was under a current law. After coming up in several previous legislative sessions, the act was finally put into law in part because of the Schanbaums’ efforts.

First-year residents now will be protected against four of the five most common strains of meningitis, although health officials point out that the vaccine is not 100 percent effective.<<<..........

November 14, 2010:

Jamie Schanbaum, who lost limbs to meningococcal septicemia, learns to ride bicycle

[Essie]

The law was inspired by two recent students. One of them died and one had her fingers and legs below the knee amputated as a result of this disease. Please read an article before you comment.

[trebb]

There will be more Perry-flamers from this. I did a quick check and found that those hitting college age are most susceptible to meningitis and Meningococcal vaccination is required to attend many colleges. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) suggests that your child receive the vaccine less than 5 years before starting school.

I haven't looked up side-effects, etc., but it is recommended for the population at-large as they pass though certain ages.

[calex59]

The law was inspired by two recent students. One of them died and one had her fingers and legs below the knee amputated as a result of this disease. Please read an article before you comment.

While what you say is true, it doesn't excuse the stupidity of a law that takes freedom of choice away from free citizens. Meningitis hurts the person that contracts it and no one else. It is contracted in several ways, one of them being using a dirty needle while doing drugs. You can also get it by eating food that has been fertilized with human excrement.

Here's the deal, it is not the governments, or the school's, concern or business whether students are vaccinated or not.

Why not have them vaccinated for everything, require them to wear raincoats and rubber over shoes when the weather is bad?

[Tax-chick]

I’m amazed that so many adults wouldn’t have had the meningitis vaccine. When we lived in Texas (many years before Perry, before anyone flips out) the state had quite stringent vaccine requirements. Our Texas-born children got more shots than all the rest, and that was before Anoreth started going to the World’s Pestilential Places!

[Happy Rain]

As long as the “opt-out” provision is well publicized and made as simple (hopefully the “must file paperwork” is not the typical bureaucratic hair-pulling hassle) as possible—then I have no problem with the BIG GOVERNMENT COMMANDMENT—cause it's the business of the Texans and apparently Texas, led by it's GOVERNOR, is becoming a BIG GOVERNMENT STATE. But hey,you know,what with the 10th Amendment and all—I reckon that's FINE with me;)

[vetvetdoug]

I was a military brat. I had vaccinations for Yellow Fever, cholera, polio, Typhoid, meningitis, and many others. Then, I enlisted in the military. I have two shot records that have no place to enter any new vaccinations. I don’t see any problem with a vaccination for a disease that is real and an inherent risk. Unfortunately, I did receive an experimental vaccine while I was in the USAF that had some dire consequences for the 1000 of us that were in the group.

[jocon307]

My daughter had to get this before she went to school in VA.

I actually think this is a good idea, I worked with a girl who had almost died of meningitis while in college.

Dorm living is the type of environment that is conducive to this disease, why, I forget, but it is.

Gardisil is entirely different, HPV is not just floating around in the air.

We need to consider all vaccines carefully, but the fact is that whooping cough and other horrors are on the rise in some places. And it’s not just the unvacinated immigrants, it’s also the soccer moms who aren’t getting their kids the “jab” as the Brits say.

[Tax-chick]

[jocon307]

My daughter got “doored” on her bicycle a few years ago and got cut up by glass in the street. She was (thank the Lord!) OK, but she had to get a bunch of stitches.

I called her pediatrician and found out she hadn’t gotten the most recent tetnus booster, why? I don’t know.

Anyway, I made the ER doc give her a tetnus shot. He said, she probably doesn’t really need it, I’m not big on giving a lot of shots. He was fine, I’m not complaining about him. But I said, I want her to have it. So, he gave it to her.

OTOH, I know a woman whose daughter had a LOT of problems from, I think, the measles vaccine. It was sort of like the poor kid had mini-measles all the time.

I think you have to weigh all aspects. How bad is the disease? How contagious is the disease? What are the side effects of the vaccine?

You’ve really got to watch out for the Guillian-Barre syndrome as a side effect. I THINK that may be a potential side effect of Gardisil, it is part of the disclaimer for some new med that is being advertised on TV. You don’t want to get THAT, or even run any risk of it. I’d rather take my chances with pretty much anything else.

[sodpoodle]

So the criticism of Governor Perry is that he takes recommendations from medical professionals so as to protect the health of Texas’ children.

If he had failed to do so - that would be the criticism du jour.

[television is just wrong]

what happened to declining based on ‘personal’ belief? there is a HUGE movement out there against any and all vaccinations based on personal belief.

[television is just wrong]

360? out of millioins? have had menengitis? that is pretty low because that is probably the death rate from the vaccine.

[Scotsman will be Free]

Is this a relatively new problem for Texas universities? Is it because of illegal aliens attending said schools?

[deport]

Does the military require this inoculation?
******

State laws vary
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, half of all states require the meningitis vaccine for college students. Louisiana is among a handful of states that also mandate the shot for middle-school students. Texas requires only distribution of information about meningitis by school districts and colleges.
Ana’s death reminded Frankie Milley of her own family’s heartbreak. She lost her only child, 18-year-old Ryan, to meningitis in 1998.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Meningitis-vaccine-may-cost-but-some-say-it-s-1762256.php

*********
Seventh-graders must have had a meningitis vaccine and a second dose of varicella (chicken pox survivors excluded).

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Clock-is-ticking-for-kids-to-get-new-vaccine-shots-1614211.php

[BruceS]

This is not a law that takes freedom of choice from free citizens. This is a law that the legislature of Texas and the governor of Texas decided to pass to address what they saw as an issue. The state has a duty to address public health issues. Does that restrict freedom? Yes, every law restricts freedom. If you, as a free citizen, do not like this, then move to another state or don't enroll in a college in the state of Texas. Or, you can opt out.

There are many things Gov Perry has done that I see as questioning his conservative credentials. This is not one.

[preamble]

As the state of Florida vs. HHS (Obamacare lawsuit with 26 states)
shows us

STATES HAVE GENERAL POLICE POWER under our separation of powers
constitutional republic.
YET the federal government does not have general police power.
President obama wants all kind of power.

Now what you DO with the state power is another matter.
Vaccines are general police power -— see Massachusetts in the
US Supreme COurt decision in 1920s

Mitt Romney went along with an individual mandate. Loss of freedom,
privacy for what benefit?

[newzjunkey]

You have a full blown case of Perry Derangement Syndrome. Might want to get it looked at.