UNM students will soon be able to get a longer-lasting vaccination for meningitis.
The Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine for meningitis on Jan. 14 for 11- to 55-year-olds that will last twice as long as the vaccine that is administered now.
Beverly Kloeppel, director of the Student Health Center, said it will carry the new vaccine. It will be available as early as next month.
According to MedicineNet, meningitis is a bacterial or viral infection of the brain and spinal cord. The bacterial form can sometimes be fatal. The disease can spread rapidly in confined living quarters, such as college dormitories.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly recommend all students living in college dorms get the vaccine.
Mari Martinez, a sophomore at UNM, has lived in campus dorms for two years. She said she did not receive a vaccine for meningitis when she came to UNM.
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Martinez said the shot was $80 and her insurance would not cover the vaccination.
"It's expensive either way, so I just didn't bother with it," she said.
The Student Health Center charges $94 for the current vaccine.
The center will probably charge more than $100 for the new vaccine, Kloeppel said.
Kloeppel said 70 percent of the cost is covered for students who have Plan A health insurance through the health center.
She said UNM does not require the vaccine to enroll at the University, but it is looking at the recommendation made by the CDC to determine if the center will require or recommend the shot.
She said the center is waiting for the American College Health Organization to make a decision on whether the vaccine should be required for college freshmen.
"There is no greater risk for students outside freshmen in the dorms," she said.
Kloeppel said the health center made it a point to educate freshman in the dorms about the disease but has not required they get vaccinated.
She said there hasn't been a meningitis case in the dorms in the last four years.
There is controversy about requiring the vaccine because the disease is rare, Kloeppel said.
Martinez said it didn't seem like getting the shot was a big deal at UNM.
"I think I got a pamphlet about it during orientation, but that was it," Martinez said.
Death rates from meningitis are five times higher among 15- to 24-year-olds, according to the MedicineNet Web site.
The new vaccine will last at least eight years. The current vaccine only lasts three years to five years.
About 3,000 cases of meningitis are reported in the United States each year. Thirty percent of those cases are 15- to 24-year-olds.
According to MedicineNet, people infected with meningitis can die within 48 hours or less of contacting the disease.
According to the Meningitis Foundation of America, 10 percent of meningitis cases are fatal. The bacteria that cause meningitis live in the nose and throat and are carried by 10 percent to 25 percent of the population.
Meningitis can cause mental disabilities, hearing loss and paralysis.
According to the foundation, a rash is associated with meningitis. The rash can occur on any body part and looks like tiny purple pin pricks. The rash is a key indication of blood poisoning. If not treated immediately, the rash can be fatal or result in loss of limbs, fingers and toes, according to the foundation.
- Rivkela Brodsky
contributed to this report
