TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Universities' Meningitis Policy May Emphasize Most-At-Risk

ADVERTISEMENT

By ADAM EMERSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 28, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - State university system leaders want more students immunized against bacterial meningitis but asked health experts for more guidance on which students are most at risk.

State university health directors gathered in Tallahassee this week and urged the Board of Governors to vaccinate all new students against meningitis, not just those living in campus residence halls.

Their recommendations come after Monday's death of a University of South Florida student who contracted bacterial meningitis. USF President Judy Genshaft said sophomore Rachel Futterman, 19, was never immunized.

Board members welcomed the suggestions, but didn't want to ensnare older, commuter students in the vaccination regimen.

Lesley Sacher, Florida State University's student health director and president of the American College Health Association, said she and her colleagues will work out new recommendations for the board to consider in a few weeks.

But they don't want to scale back their ambitions too much, Sacher said. Whatever the proposal, student health directors want to require vaccinations of more than just dormitory residents, and may recommend requiring immunizations of all new university students 26 and younger - those considered most at risk.

Current state law allows university students to opt out of the vaccination after reading about the disease, which Sacher says is the minimum recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

USF's Genshaft already has said she'll go further. Starting in January, USF will require vaccinations of all students living in campus housing, and there will be no exemptions for medical or religious reasons, Genshaft said.

The university took the step after the death of Futterman, who Genshaft said waived the vaccine on Aug. 24 - one month before she died.

'I have to say that this is a terrible, terrible tragedy - to lose a student to something that could have been prevented through vaccination,' Genshaft said.

Reporter Adam Emerson can be reached at (813) 259-8285 or aemerson@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT