Get Vaccinated!

By: Ciara Clark

Nicholls State University has required students to get vaccinated for diseases such as

meningitis upon admission since 2001 due to the risk of outbreaks on campuses nationwide.

Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial infection of the membranes covering the spinal

cord and the brain, which is known as the meninges. Meningitis is a rare but potentially

dangerous illness that can affect children and young adults. Meningitis can be transmitted

through respiratory and throat secretions. Meningitis can mimic flu like symptoms such

as headache, neck stiffness, fever, confusion , vomiting, and an inability to tolerate light.

According to Louisiana law R.S. 17:170.1, schools of higher learning should require all

students entering Nicholls State University and other universities to be immunized for

Meningococcal disease (Meningitis), Measles, and Mumps. The state requires Rubella

vaccination for students who are born on or after January 1, 1957 and requires a Tetanus-

Diphtheria vaccine to any student who has not been vaccinated within the past 10 years. These

guidelines were recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Advisory

Committee on Immunization Practices to the United States Public Health Service (ACIP) and the

American College Health Association (ACHA) to prevent disease outbreak among students.

College students have a greater potential risk of contracting meningitis because of they

live very close to each other on campus, said Dr. Anna Falcon, medical doctor of Nicholls

University Health Services.

The Louisiana law states that all students have to receive the Meningococcal vaccine

which is 1 dose of Menoume (MPSV4) or Menactra (MCV4) to prevent the spread of meningitis.
 However, the vaccine is effective against four of the five serogroups of meningitis. The

side effects to the vaccine are mild and consist of redness and pain at the injection that may last

two days. Students should not receive the vaccine if he or she is allegoric to thimerosal, had

GuillainBarra syndrome, pregnant or over the age of 55.

Dr. Falcon mentioned that researchers thought the vaccine would last for ten years but

studies have shown that the vaccine can last up to 5 years.

Typically, a person will receive the first Meningococcal vaccine at 11 years old and then

a booster dose at the age of 16 to 18, said Dr. Falcon.

Although the vaccine is required, some students can become exempt from the vaccine for

medical or personal reasons such as religious beliefs. However, the students who have not been

vaccinated may be excluded from campus and classes in the event of an outbreak of meningitis,

mumps, rubella, and measles until the outbreak is contained. Exempt students are allowed to live

on campus but they have a greater risk of becoming infected with the disease.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there have been 247 deaths in 15

states due to different forms of meningitis this year.

To my knowledge, there has never been an outbreak of meningitis on Nicholls State

University campus, said Dr. Falcon. But we have had a few students with meningitis.

Currently, no other vaccines have been required by the university and the state. However,

the requirements for vaccines may change if scientists develop new vaccines or if new forms of

diseases and illnesses become known.

 According to Nicholls Vice President of Student Affairs Eugene Dial, the West Nile

vaccine may become a requirement as part of the admissions process in the future due to the

number of illnesses and death reports in Louisiana.

The meningitis vaccine is available on campus at the University Health Services in Ayo

Hall for a $120.

Published on Nicholls Worth

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