Thank you for posting this! dS19 just got shots earlier this week and goes back on a month for the 2nd one. DD18 is headed to college this fall and has asthma. She’s had her shots but it’s good to know what to look for since she’ll be far away. Scary!!
We’re late on this but our daughter is going to get it before taking off for college soon-still trying to figure out if our insurance covers it. For those of you who got it, was it covered or did you pay cash?
@TTdd16, it was completely covered for us!
@WWC4me, wonderful! I’m waiting to hear back from our insurance. Thanks!
Fight it if they say no. Almost all insurance companies – if not all – are covering it now. It would cost the insurance company a hell of a lot more if your kid got meningitis.
Amherst College specifically recommended Meningitis B due to outbreaks last year in the area colleges. Our GP’s office didn’t have it, which btw is associated with one of the best hospitals in the country. They referred us over to the health district office, but they made a point of asking where D18 was going as they had rarely administered it and yet had four recent requests from kids headed off to college out of state. Mind you we live in a college town. Anyway, I say this in the event others find themselves in a similar situation with their GP, the cost is minimal at the health district offices and is quickly accessible
It is outrageous that pediatricians are not stocking and recommending the vaccine for meningococcal B. It’s a good illustration of the fact that doctors do not all have the same knowledge and the same practices. This is a small thing. But when it comes to big things, like cancer diagnosis and treatment, remember this. They do not all keep up to date, and they do not all know the same things.
Covered by our insurance too (BCBS). Just a heads up that my dd didn’t feel great after the injection and her arm was really sore for days. Our pediatrician said she expected it to be mandatory nation wide this year.
No vaccine is “mandatory nation wide.” There’s a recommended schedule from CDC. Schools require certain vaccines for attendance. Some workplaces require certain vaccines. But no vaccines are outright mandatory.
Probably what she meant was that she thinks the CDC will add it to the recommended vaccine schedule. Right now it is not on the schedule. But I think she is not correct about that either. ACIP (Advisory committee on Immunization Practices) unfortunately has been responding to pressure from “anti-vax” folks about the number of vaccines on the recommended schedule. The problem with that is that too many doctors do not bother to educate themselves and do not stock the vaccine. And families that do not have the savvy or wherewithal to proactively seek it out will leave their kids vulnerable. Kids will die because this vaccine is not on the schedule.
To clarify, the pediatrician thought colleges would add it to their required vaccine list for dorm living.
Most colleges don’t have any specific requirement. A lot of the largest ones do not because they just wouldn’t be able to check 6,00 0or 8,000 medical records of incoming students. Many colleges just say that students have to comply with state rules regarding vaccines needed for school attendance.
Kiddo is getting it next week and it’s covered by insurance!
Keep in mind that the Meningitis B vaccine requires 1-2 follow-up boosters, depending on which vaccine is chosen. D got her first shot last week, and we’re planning on having her get the booster either while at the college or when she comes back for Christmas.
We were told she needed to return a month later for the 2nd dose of Men. B. Fortunately we started in June.
My pediatrician recommended the vaccine but said that they don’t stock it because it costs about $200 but insurance only reimburses them about $10.
For those whose kids got Trumenba and had side effects, how long did they last? My son got it at lunchtime today, and tonight he feels feverish and sick with chills, headache, upset stomach, etc. (but not much pain at the injection site). He was supposed to drive 6-1/2 hours back to campus tomorrow, as classes start on Monday, but now I’m thinking I’d better drive him. I’ve read that these side effects are fairly common and can last 3-7 days (!), but I’m wondering how often they actually last that long. I really wish I’d seen this thread and had him get vaccinated earlier this summer.
many most certainly do have requirements, just as they have requirements to enroll. The medical office checks the required health forms when you enroll, and if you don’t submit them, you’re not allowed to register. When I was in college, we had a “check-in” process each semester, where our records were verified by each of several offices, including the medical office. The year following a major measles outbreak, we were required to have updated MMR vaccinations, and weren’t allowed to check into dorms or attend classes without it - those who didn’t stood in line at the county health office with all the local children also wanting to start school. With electronic records now, it’s that much easier to flag an account if it needs to be updated.
@CTScoutmom Agree. I know several universities that are now very strict about vaccinations and won’t let you register without them. And in states like New York, non-medical exemptions are being removed through legislation. That said, I lived in the UK at the time there were several deaths at universities as a result of meningitis. It’s a terrible illness and one worth vaccinating against.
My daughter’s side effects lasted 24 hours but her arm was sore for the better part of a week.
I did have my freshman college kid complete the 2 shots procedure after I read this site many months ago. Thanks. My kid said his 2nd shot was not as sore as the first shot. Trumbone or something. Shot was free at his college health clinic.