Posted on 08/21/2011 1:57:51 AM PDT by 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.....
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
“There are many things Gov Perry has done that I see as questioning his conservative credentials. This is not one.”
I’m with you...as far as I can tell right now about this disease. Anyone that saw my postings last weekend knows that I don’t hesitate to let people know what I think of my governor. In this case, the legislature passed it first. In the case of Gardasil, Perry could have requested the same, had the debate, and ACCEPTED the results...good or bad...and he would also have been off the hook, as far as I’m concerned.
It’s when an executive starts acting like a dictator that I get angry. For example, Obama is in the process of shutting down 10% of this country’s electricity production...no debate, just shut it down. North Korea had the same problem with electricity and they ended up in famine.
While you’re at it, get yourself a damned vaccination so you don’t bring your KRAP TO MY CHILD! Or are YOU not responsible enough to do it? Yeah, you’re not responsible enough to do it on your own!
First of all there is an opt out in Texas FOR ANY IMMUNIZATION that you deem dangerous to yourself or your child in consultation with your doctor.
FOOLS get others killed, their hands and legs cut off, or perhaps bring death to yours kids.
Didn’t Sarah Palin come out in opposition to mandatory vaccinations for chicken pox? Which, I assume, would also mean opposition to any vaccination requirements mandated by state or federal government?
Since we don’t know how long immunity lasts for any vaccine, I recommend those who approve of them to go to their doctor and get shot up. If you’re complaining about people not being vaccinated keep in mind you’re probably no longer immune to these diseases either.
Considering Sarah's strong pro-life stand, my last statement is probably why she is opposed to mandatory chicken pox vaccines.
Very interesting. Thanks for posting and thanks to all posters.
Public health has walked the fine line between public freedom and, well, public health.
People screamed when they were forced to pay for closed sewers. Then they screamed when public wells were tested and many were closed. The food industry complained when standards for contamination were put in place. There are even people that grumble about being forced to wash their hands before making your hamburger.
The simple underlying science of immunization is that for an individual, an immunization provides marginal protection. If you immunize the entire susceptible group, you can get virtually 100% protection. Thus there is a balance, does your individual right to choose over ride the right of your fellow citizen’s right not to develop the disease?
This is not even a simple liberal vs conservative argument if you think about it. It is a libertarian argument, does the social contract give the government any rights to control individual behavior? If you agree that the government has any rights to control individual behavior, then the public health argument changes.
With that out of the way, your basic understanding of this type of meningitis is deficient. It is a bacterial infection that is spread much like a cold. A portion of people that get exposed never develop illness but develop a colonization in their nasal mucous membranes and expose people to the disease for an extended period of time. Because of their age and living arrangements, college students and military recruits are at greatly increased risk for this disease. And there is a reason why not to force them to be immunized to everything, public health is a balance between private rights, the public’s health and resources available.
How many people here think it would have been a good idea to immediately shut down the bath houses in San Francisco when AIDS was first identified? How many people here think it is a good idea to let the homosexuals back into the public blood supply? There is at least some willingness here to let the government interfere with individuals to improve public health. Unless you feel that individual rights are only “good for me and not for thee” then public health should be an ongoing debate rather than thrown out and just an infringement of rights.
But she is on record as saying, “I would not propose govt mandating anything like shots for our kids.” Chicken Pox, meningitis, polio, Hep A or Hep B, tetanus, diphtheria, apparently nothing that the medical community has recommended should be required by law.
I agree. However, the success of almost-universal vaccination in many countries made people way too complacent about how bad many diseases are, and how contagious they are. And tort-lawyers and ideologues have made the risks of many vaccines appear much greater than they are. People need to make decisions using *good* information, not celebrity appearances on talk shows and wishful thinking.
We Scout leaders (and Scouts) have to keep our tetanus boosters up to date to participate.
“You have a full blown case of Perry Derangement Syndrome.”
You betcha!
Nothing to worry about. Sarah will be along soon.
Some adverse reactions to the vaccine is imminent. Some could be life long problems, and others could be life threatening.
Big brother doesn’t care.
Would ask as well, if all staff and faculty required to have this inoculation. High school students and younger are as likely to contract this; am guessing they will come into 'focus' later.
Would suggest that those 'less skeptical' read "Dr. Mary and the Monkey"/Edward Haslan OR just 'search' Simeon Virus 40 ( SV 40) on the net.
What happened here is a tragedy; but a 'law' - much less, one requiring a questionable vaccine - is no antidote.
Governor Gardisil strikes again!
Sarah, please save us!
*****
Government is sometimes correct to require immunization. Would any loving, rational parent want his child to die from contacting a disease from a classmate who was not vaccinated? Soldiers are required to get shots so they won’t spread diseases to each other as they work and fight in close contact with each other — do you have a problem with that? Granted, the use of Gardisil has some moral implications, so I can understand why some libertarians and conservatives would object to it. But we shouldn’t call Perry “Governor Gardisil” just because he wants to protect college students from a terrible disease.
Nothing anyone with good sense can say will ever convince these libertarian paul-types to use common sense, even if they are shouting SARAH.
I have no problem with this vaccination; my daughter had to get the shot before beginning college in Virginia. It’s much different from forcing everyone to get the Gardasil vaccine.
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