Dept. Of Health, PC to Provide Meningitis Vaccine Program
Monday, February 09, 2015
Coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and Providence College, The Rhode Island Department of Health announced a plan Friday to provide a vaccination program to all students at PC.
The recommendation from CDC officials, physicians and public health experts at HEALTH, an advisory board of infectious disease experts, FDA officials, and PC is that an appropriate next step to prevent the spread of meningitis B is to encourage students to receive this vaccination. HEALTH is organizing an on-site college vaccination clinic, which will take place as soon as the vaccine arrives on the PC campus.
Vaccinations are recommended for PC’s roughly 3,800 undergraduate students, graduate students living on campus, and staff who are under 25 years old and/or have a suppressed immune system. Once the logistics of the clinic have been determined, Providence College will communicate that information to students and to its campus community.
“The spread of meningococcal disease can be stopped by good public health practices,” said Michael Fine, M.D., Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. “The first step of the response is well underway to provide all close contacts of these students with preventive antibiotics. The action we’re taking today is an important next step to keep the PC community healthy.”
“We are extremely grateful to the Department of Health and to the CDC for their quick response in assisting us in dealing with this situation,” said Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President of Providence College. “They have been of invaluable assistance in helping us obtain the necessary vaccine and with the logistics of setting up our vaccination clinic. I expect that we will have the first dose of the vaccinations complete as quickly as possible once we have the vaccine. Subsequent doses will follow at a later date.”
“Meningitis does not spread easily from casual contact,” said Doctor Utpala Bandy, the State Epidemiologist at the Rhode Island Department of Health. “There is no recommendation for the surrounding community to avoid contact with Providence College or Providence College students, no recommendation to cancel classes, and no recommendation to provide the vaccination more widely at this time.”
Meningococcal meningitis is an infection of the lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The bacterial infection is spread through direct secretions from the nose or mouth through activities such as kissing, sharing food, drinks, water bottles, toothbrushes, eating utensils, or cigarettes. Meningococcal disease can be treated with antibiotics, but quick medical attention is extremely important.
For more information on meningococcal meningitis, click HERE.
