Meningitis Vaccines for College Students

Parents Forum
1

I am not in health care, but am a parent of a student that experienced a Meningitis B outbreak on campus last year. I thought it could be helpful to put out a reminder to parents of new freshman that want to get the Meningitis B vaccine prior to college in fall to plan ahead (particularly if you want/get Trumemba) because of the gap between shots. This is a different vaccine than the one you get as a child and then again as a booster in your teens - those earlier vaccines go by the names Menactra, Menveo or Menomune, MPSV4, MCV4 and cover Meningitis/serogroup A, C, W & Y. That earlier childhood vaccine does not cover Type B. In the United States, B, C, & Y are the most common. I am giving all this background because when speaking to a healthcare provider or college, it is important you are referring to the correct Meningitis vaccine - it can be confusing!

These newer vaccines are for Meningitis B, which has been the cause of the college outbreaks that we have heard about most recently (Oregon, Princeton, UCSB, Providence).

Two Meningitis B vaccines — Bexsero® and Trumenba® — have been licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

–Trumenba® is given as 3 doses, with the second dose 2 months after the first and the third dose 6 months after the first. (So should start soon to be ready for fall)

Or

–Bexsero® is given as 2 doses, at least 1 month apart.

Availability and insurance coverage varies it seems, but it seems much more widely available/approved than a year ago.

Here’s a pretty good collection of Q&As put out by UCSB who dealt with their own Meningitis B outbreak. It has some answers to questions some may have specifically about the vaccines…

http://studenthealth.sa.ucsb.edu/services/medical-services/meningitis-b/new-meningitis-b-vaccine/meningitis-b-vaccine-faqs

And here’s that article about the SCU student and his recovery that I posted last year which lays out the symptoms he went through:
http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_29717784/santa-clara-university-meningitis-survivor-returns-school

2

This is a very good and timely post!

3

Thanks @carachel, I think we cross posted this afternoon - had been thinking about putting something up since I recently called to schedule shot #3 of Trumemba for my youngest. And I just realized I left SCU off the school list above which is why I am so familiar with this in the first place, duh.

4

Bumping this post because a case (or two, that’s unclear) was just diagnosed at UMass Amherst - http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/11/two_umass_amherst_students_dia.html

My D has had the Bexsero vaccine series, but only because i pushed for it before she left for college. Insurance did cover it, however.

5

Thank you so much for this. I am going to track this down and see if my son is covered for “B”.

6

Hmmm. Looks like my son had MCV4 - Menactra.

I am going to have to call his doctor on the “B” one. Another 2 -3 shots! Oh boy…that will go over well.

7

US colleges don’t require the B vaccine. I think those in Europe do. In my case I could get it and it was covered but I had to ask for it. Good luck @MassDaD68

8

Yes, please get those shots for your kids, but understand that it is still possible to get meningitis even after vaccination. I almost lost my vaccinated 11 year old daughter in March due to bacterial meningitis.

9

That’s terrifying @Zekesima I hope she is OK now. What kind was it?

10

It was streptococcus pneumoniae. Thank God we figured it out before it was too late. PICU doctor even sat me down and gave me “the talk” that night (that she might not make it). But she pulled through and is okay now, albeit with significant hearing loss.

11

All i have to say is if your child gets the meningitis vaccine, have them note in their phone when they got because every time they sign up for housing they have to produce that date.

12

Trumenba can now be given as a 2 shot series, at least that’s what the doctor said at my S’s last checkup.

Planning on getting those started in December (at the latest February) so he has them before starting college.

13

My son got it at his 18 well check.

14

This is scary stuff. The stories say it happens so fast. People dismiss it as a cold or flu. This scares the heck out of me. I am not am alarmist but will not being an alarmist hurt my child? Men tend to blow this stuff off and say “suck it up” or “work thru it”. But boy oh boy if you get this and discount it.

15

For sure @MassDaD68 Students have to know if there is any sign of neck ache or a rash with cold or flu, head to ER asap. Problem is, even if they know what to watch for they can be too out of it to know what is going on or what to do, so parents have to ask (if kid even tells them they are sick). You also hope there is a room mate or RA paying attention. D’s friend went to ER late one night because his symptoms seemed more severe than usual flu, and lucky for them, it was just the flu. Didn’t hurt, student got the hydration and care he needed while far from home.

This link below was in my original post (which you may have seen) but I think it is an informative piece on how everything played out for the SCU student. Even an hour may have lead to very different results as you mentioned. Every time I re-read it I get chills. Be well everyone!

http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_29717784/santa-clara-university-meningitis-survivor-returns-school

16

Yes, it would’ve been VERY easy to have mistaken my daughter’s illness for the flu. Her fever wasn’t too high (never above 102) and she didn’t initially have the expected neck pain or stiffness (I asked). The thing that led me to call the doctor was that her breathing seemed to be a little too shallow/fast. So I pulled out my timer to count how many breaths she took in one minute (38). I googled what was normal (12-20), then made the call. Within about an hour of that call, she was getting a spinal tap, and the antibiotics got started soon after.

If you ever suspect bacterial meningitis, err on the side of caution because this illness can kill or cause irreversible damage in less than 24 hours. Often a medical professional isn’t sought out until it is too late, especially among college kids who may not have someone looking out for them the way parents do. And even when your child does all the right things, this can happen: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/03/death_of_uo_student_from_menin.html or this
https://www.glamour.com/story/woman-dies-after-she-mistakes-meningitis-for-a-hangover
We need to make sure our kids at college know to look out for one another, have someone they check in with when they begin to feel ill (a roommate or RA or even their parent). ER docs also need to be better educated as to the signs of BM. I’m so glad my daughter’s ER doctor knew exactly what to do in her case.

17

@bopper that depends on the school. Neither my undergrad nor grad required any vaccines. Not even for housing.

@Zekesima I’m so sorry. My dad has had meningitis twice. The second time, I think I was about 4 and I still remember how scared my mom was.

That is exactly why EVERYONE who can MUST get the vaccine. Not everyone seroconverts with the vaccine. It doesn’t work for everyone. That’s why herd immunity is SO important.

18

OK, I feel compelled to represent the other side, and I am by no means a no-vaxxer.
The Men B vaccine peaks at ONE MONTH after the shot. By one year it’s down to 50%. I just saw the study but now I can’t find it, will keep trying.
The official stance is to get the vaccine if there’s an outbreak. I know that is contrary to most vaccine recommendations. I think it has to do with its short span of effectiveness as well as lack of longterm study.
The initial effectiveness is not exactly something to write home about:
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mening/public/index.html

I have no problem with those who choose to have thier college students receive this vaccine but I think it’s being somewhat overhyped.
The cdc specifically says it thinks there is NO herd immunity at work for the meningitis conjugate vaccine (the other Men vaccine). I couldn’t find any reference to the MenB vaccine & herd immunity but with figures as noted above, I’m guessing herd immunity is not happening.

19

Thank you, @romanigypsyeyes Wow, the thought of having this twice is terrifying.

@alooknac This is why I urge people to know the signs regardless of whether their kids have been vaccinated, and not to assume they are immune. There are no guarantees.

20

My daughter’s college just sent out an email telling the students to get MenB vaccinated over Thanksgiving break. The school clinic will have a small number of vaccines for those who can’t get it at home.