<p>Is it common now for entering freshman to get the meningitis vaccine? Anybody have any side effects?</p>
<p>My D’s (18 and 15) both had the shot within the past couple of years.</p>
<p>They had no side effects from it at all.</p>
<p>My son had it for boarding school, no ill effects.</p>
<p>Both D’s have had it. No side effects.</p>
<p>my younger two had it, no problems.</p>
<p>All 4 of my kids have it. No problems. We have friends whose youngest child died from this form of meningitis. He got sick in the morning and died that night. No way would I chance it with my kids. Our Dr. definitely recommended it.</p>
<p>Get it!!</p>
<p>And if you have other children older than the minimum age, then have them get it, too.</p>
<p>A child can be well during the day, be sick at 5pm, and be dead by midnight. And, a child that survives, often has to have severe amputations.</p>
<p>I don’t know what the minimum age is to get the shot…but I think it’s somewhere between 8-11.</p>
<p>My son got the shot, but several months later he had symptoms that led the hospital to do a spinal tap “just in case” (thankfully negative). The spinal tap was the worst…it gives you the worst headache EVER.</p>
<p>^ I think our pediatricians at work start giving it around age 11-12.</p>
<p>I thought it was required for some schools. Regardless, my kids got it and had no issues as a result.</p>
<p>I saw a young lady give a talk who caught meningitis shortly after going to college. It was pretty devastating for her. She almost didn’t survive but now she can barely walk because of the damage and her life of course was turned upside down. It sure got a point through.</p>
<p>many schools require it. A few kids died from meningitis in the last several years.</p>
<p>Three of ours had the shot with no side effects</p>
<p>Meningitis strikes very, very quickly – otherwise hale and hearty college students are fine in the morning and too often dead at night. </p>
<p>That is one scary disease.</p>
<p>D got the shot.</p>
<p>S1 got it at 18, S3 at 14. S2 was 16 and headed to camp for two weeks at the time of his check up so we waited for a year. They were having outbreaks of H1N1 at previous sessions and were literally taking their temperatures at check in. We didn’t want to risk any post immunization fever.
I just found out that the gardasil is being given to boys. I have to do some fact finding on that one about any side effects. I am very much in favor of this to help cut down on the transmission of any disease or lower the chance of cancer for the next generation of women. I just want to know possible long term effects of any vaccine.</p>
<p>My kids have had the vaccine. It is not 100% effective (is any vaccine?), so students should still know the symptoms and to get help immediately. There was a death at Iowa State a few weeks ago; the student had been vaccinated.</p>
<p>My sons have had it. I had them get it for summer camp (another situation where kids are living in close quarters). There had been a young woman in the area who was fine on Tuesday and dead by Thursday because of meningitis.</p>
<p>Get it!
Meningococcal meningitis is not common, but it can be rapid and deadly.
Both our teens were vacinated, no problems.</p>
<p>All NJ public colleges require it for students living on campus.</p>
<p>D got it before heading off to college. No side effects. I did not have to be convinced to get her vaccinated - when I was in elementary school, a friend of mine died of bacterial meningitis within hours of developing fever. Any protection is better than no protection when we are talking about such deadly disease.</p>
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<p>Sadly, no, there is no vaccine which is 100% effective.</p>
<p>All three of my boys have had it with no ill effects. Remember that there are two versions-one that lasts ~3-4 years and a newer variety said to last for ~10 years, which should take most of these kids through the college dorm years.</p>
<p>I would also make sure they get a pertussis booster which has been around for the last 4 years or so. We have had several whooping cough outbreaks in No California and the college kids’ immunity has waned since they were younger and had the shots.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the info. I feel better about getting the shot.</p>