Viral Meningitis Increased Incidence

Pfenninger: Anti-vaccine movement losing steam

Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, 3 to 4 million cases occurred annually in the United States. Four hundred to 500 children died from this viral infection every year. Another thousand had chronic, lifelong disabilities. After the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine was introduced, measles became so rare that many physicians would have a hard time recognizing it nowadays. The incidence of polio, smallpox, tetanus (lockjaw), and many more infections that previously created fear and terror in parents over the safety of their children, have been markedly reduced. The chicken pox (varicella) vaccine alone protects against 10,000 hospitalizations and 70 to 100 deaths that, in the past, occurred from that infection every year.

Children who do not receive routine vaccinations now have a 35-fold higher risk for measles, a 23-fold higher risk for pertussis (whooping cough), and a nine-fold higher risk for chicken pox than do vaccinated children. Because of an anti-vaccine movement leading to immunizations being withheld from many children, there has been a whooping cough outbreak in California that is bigger than anything seen since 1947. There was a mumps epidemic in the Midwest in 2006 and in the Northeast this year involving 1,500, leaving several of them deaf. Outbreaks of bacterial meningitis from haemophilus influenzae type B have occurred, despite there being a vaccine available to prevent it.

I can understand where many parents are coming from. The media has bombarded us with frightful stories and scare tactics. It is now known that the research which received a lot of press claiming that the MMR vaccine causes autism turned out to be totally fraudulent. Larry King Live aired an episode where he interviewed three mothers who had autistic children. He asked them, "What do you think causes autism?" These were mothers who had no scientific training whatsoever. However, when they spoke as concerned mothers claiming the vaccines caused their children's problems, the nation listened. There was no infectious disease expert involved in the discussion to point out the scientific facts. Feelings were discussed but science was ignored.

Some of the anti-vaccine movement has resulted in beneficial effects. It has generated an enormous amount of research which has proven that vaccines are safe. Fourteen major studies now confirm that there is no difference in the rates of autism in children who receive the MMR vs. those who do not receive it. Similarly, thimerosal, an ethyl mercury-containing preservative in vaccines, has been shown not to be the culprit.

Meningitis Warning on Campus

Anna Dragsbaek is president and CEO of the Immunization Partnership , a non-profit organization dedicated to education and advocacy for immunization issues. She says this illustrates the importance of being vaccinated.

"The meningitis vaccine will protect students from a form of bacterial meningitis. College students have a higher incidence of contracting this, because they live in close quarters and because they're around a lot of other people in their classes. So, there's an elevated risk for college students, and all college students should have the meningitis vaccine."

Bacterial Meningitis, which is more severe than viral meningitis, is highly contagious and spreads through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions. Dragsbaek says because initial symptoms resemble those of the flu: fever, nausea, headache and fatigue. Meningitis can be hard to diagnose.

"The symptoms that should really drive you into the doctor would be something like stiff neck, a severe headache, vomiting and nausea with a headache, high fever, sometimes even seizures, any kind of confusion, sensitivity to light, and if there's just a general lack of interest in eating or drinking."

She says while symptoms can vary slightly from person to person, even a few of them warrant a visit to the doctor.

"Because the only way that you can really prevent long term disability from meningitis is by immediate medical attention. If you don't get in right away, a lot of times it will be too late."

Floyd Robinson is director of the Health Center at UH. He says a new law requires first time and transfer students enrolling in college and entering on-campus housing, to show proof of having received the meningitis vaccine.

"We are very very stringent on that, we follow that to the letter. So in other words, if a student has not yet received the vaccine, they must receive the vaccine, and they would've had to receive the vaccine at least ten days prior to taking up residence here on any of our on-campus housing."

Robinson says the clinic goes to great lengths to educate students about meningitis and how easy it is transmitted, to limit the possibility of passing on this serious disease.

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