Parents are being reminded that any child entering 7th or 12th grade must have received a shot of meningitis vaccine before September 1 this year. Without proof of vaccination, they will not be allowed to start school. Niagara County Public Health Director Daniel Stapleton said this is a new requirement, even though meningitis vaccine has been recommended for over a decade.
“Let’s work together to protect our children. Meningococcal meningitis vaccination saves lives,” he emphasized. “Every time we lose a child to a vaccine preventable disease like meningitis, it hurts our whole community. Avoid delays in starting school. Call your child’s provider now.”
Meningitis is rare, but can strike without warning and is often deadly. Stapleton said the blood disease can be treated with antibiotics, but even with treatment, about 10-15 percent of people who get sick will die. Another 10-20 percent will survive with life-long disabilities, such as hearing loss, loss of arms or legs or brain damage.
Teens and young adults are at greater risk of getting the disease than the general population and it can spread easily in large groups. Stapleton said an infected person can spread the disease by coughing or sneezing directly into the faces of others, by kissing a person on the mouth or by sharing a glass or cup. Early signs and symptoms are similar to the flu.
He said one dose of the vaccine is required before entering 7th grade. If a child has had the first dose as a 6th grader, then another dose is not required until 12th grade.
A total of 2 doses are required before entering 12th grade. The only teens that do not need a 2nd dose before 12th grade are those who received their 1st dose on or after their 16th birthdays.
