College Students May Need Meningitis Vaccine

CHICAGO, IL-The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that college students be made aware of the danger of meningitis.

Students living in dormitories are at a higher risk of contracting the life-threatening disease.

Invasisve meningococcal meningitis strikes 3,000 Americans a year, with 100-125 being college students. Of those infected, an estimated 300 die, with 15 of those fatalities being students.

A shot may prevent a majority of these deaths.

The academy's Committee on Infectious Diseases urged doctors and colleges to tell dormitory residents about their increased risk of contracting the disease. This form of meningitis inflames the membranes surrounding the spinal cord and brain.

Information from the Houston Chronicle.