The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended all college freshmen receive a meningitis vaccine.

The recommendation is for a new vaccine that lasts eight to 10 years, about twice as long as the previous drug, according to CDC spokeswoman Bonnie Hebert.

She said the CDC did not have a previous recommendation for student vaccination.

The CDC advises college freshmen receive the vaccination because they are more likely to contract meningitis than the general population.

"It happens more for freshmen living in dorms just because of proximity," she said. "There are closer quarters for it to spread."

In fact, college students are the highest-risk group to contract meningitis, according to Lisa Taylor, clinical coordinator with the Visiting Nurse Association of Wisconsin. She said students are highly susceptible to the disease simply because of their lifestyle.

"It has a lot to do with living in dorms and sharing food and drinks," Taylor said. "Meningitis is not an airborne disease, but it is spread through close contact."

Diane Walcheske, nursing supervisor at Student Health Service, said Marquette will be ordering doses of the new vaccine.

Walcheske said the university already recommends students receive meningitis vaccines and Student Health Service has been administering them for the past few years.

"Up to this point they have not been required, but they have been recommended," Walcheske said. She did not know whether Marquette would begin requiring students to get the vaccination in light of the new drug.

Requiring all students to receive the vaccination would be difficult because it is still relatively new, and mandating it could cause shortages, she said.

The current vaccination is not covered by the student health fees included in the cost of tuition. Walcheske said it costs $75 for an undergraduate and did not know what the cost of the new vaccine would be.

"I can't imagine it would be less expensive," she said. "We just charge what our cost is, and we don't make money on that."

The CDC estimates that a dose of the new vaccine would cost about $100. Hebert said it will be up to insurance companies to decide whether they will cover it.

The new vaccine will be available in March, according to Hebert. Walcheske said Student Health will likely have it to administer by next fall.

Taylor said the Visiting Nurse Association hopes to hold clinics distributing the new vaccine in late spring.

The vaccine can be distributed to anyone between 11 and 50, but Taylor said the clinics will target high school and college students.

While meningitis is not a common disease, Hebert said it is still important to be vaccinated because it can be fatal.

"It progresses so rapidly and can kill within hours," she said.

She said 10 to14 percent of people who contract the disease die, and another 11 to 19 percent suffer from permanent disabilities.

"If you don't start treating it immediately or catch it in time, there are severe complications," she said.

Walcheske stressed the importance of preventing the slight possibility of catching meningitis by being vaccinated.

"Anything you can do to try to prevent something, I think, is important," Walcheske said.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 1 2005.