Summer is coming to an end, which means the back-to-school season will soon be upon us. If this year is anything like the last, more than 200,000 Utah college students will be returning to school. As a mother, I, too, have sent sons off to college, ensuring they had everything they might need for the new school year. Typical things, such as textbooks, transportation, a laptop, an ATM card, new clothes, school supplies and apartment furnishings, just to name a few. After weeks of planning, I’d feel as though my boys were going off to school well-prepared.
However, despite this preparation, one small detail slipped my mind — making sure my college students were adequately immunized.
While immunizations were always a part of the back-to-school process for my children from kindergarten until high school graduation, somehow it fell off the radar when they enrolled in college. Only two of the major Utah universities have immunization requirements for college students. The University of Utah requires all students to have two MMR immunizations prior to attending school, while Westminster also requires two MMR immunizations in addition to the meningococcal tetravalent immunization. All the remaining Utah universities recommend immunizations for college students, but they are not required.
The university my sons attended had no immunization requirement. However, I believe that if they had required immunizations for school enrollment, it would have served as a powerful reminder that I needed to look over their immunization records.
So, why are college immunizations on my mind? Because I recently attended a lecture from Frankie Milley, the founder of the Meningitis Angels. During the lecture, Ms. Milley shared the touching story of losing her only child (Ryan) to meningitis B at the age of 18, right before he went off to college. As often happens with meningitis B, Ryan’s infection was aggressive and progressed very quickly. From the onset of symptoms until his death, only 24 hours had passed. When she discovered there was an immunization that could have prevented Ryan’s suffering and death, Ms. Milley formed Meningitis Angels to raise awareness.
The meningitis B immunization protects against the meningitis B strain and is recommended for adolescents and young adults from 16-23 years of age, which is right around the college age. Meningitis B infections are life-threatening and account for almost one-third of all meningitis infections in the United States. Even those who survive meningitis B have a 20 percent chance that they will have permanent disabilities such as deafness, epilepsy, brain damage and loss of fingers, toes and limbs.
In the past three years, there have been five outbreaks of meningitis B on college campuses in the United States. Why are college-aged students at such high risk for developing meningitis B? According to the experts, it’s because of their social patterns. Meningitis tends to rear its ugly head in populations living in close contact (such as dorm rooms), spending prolonged time together (such as in a classroom or a library), kissing, or those who come into close contact with a carrier.
Given the fact that there have been meningitis B outbreaks on college campuses in the United States and that there is an immunization that can prevent its devastating effects, I urge all Utah universities and colleges to consider implementing a meningitis B immunization requirement for their students. Having an immunization requirement for college-aged students keeps immunizations at the forefront of a parent’s mind, so they are less likely to forget, and simultaneously protects the health of college-aged students.
It’s a different kind of back-to-school supply, but it’s one that can — ultimately — save a student’s life.
Beth Luthy is an associate professor of nursing at Brigham Young University. An American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Utah Nurse Practitioner of the Year recipient (2009), she's led multiple intervention programs to improve Utah County immunization rates, resulting in improved overall health for the community.