Author Interviews, CDC, Infections, Pediatrics, Vaccine Studies / 18.01.2019
College Students at Increased Risk of Meningitis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sarah Anne Mbaeyi MD MPH
Division of Bacterial Diseases
CDC
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: College freshman living in residence halls, though not college students overall, have previously been identified as being at increased risk for meningococcal disease. However, these evaluations were conducted in the 1990s when rates of disease were higher, serogroup C was the predominant cause of disease, and before the availability of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) or serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccines.
MenACWY vaccine is routinely recommended for all adolescents at age 11 years and 16 years, as well as unvaccinated or undervaccinated college freshmen living in residence halls. MenB vaccine is not routinely recommended for all adolescents or college students, but may be administered to persons aged 16-23 years, with the preferred age of 16-18 years, based on clinical decision-making. Meningococcal vaccines are also recommended during an outbreak, and in recent years MenB vaccines have been used during multiple outbreaks on college campuses.
In this evaluation, we aimed to describe the current epidemiology of meningococcal disease among college-aged young adults in the United States.
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