Meningococcal infection can cause a fulminant and often fatal meningitis, with multiple organ failure, and often death within hours of onset.

Being a college student does not confer higher risk of meningococcal disease than age matched controls, BUT living in a college dormitory is found to increase the risk of contracting the disease by more than 10-fold!

The American College of Health Associations wants all physicians who see college students to offer them the meningococcal vaccine.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the CDC on national vaccination policy, met in February, 2005, and developed new recommendations.  

Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4 or Menactra) was approved by the FDA on 1/14/2005, and should be given to all children at age 11-12 year, as well as to unvaccinated adolescents at high school entry (age 15 year).  Other adolescents who wish to decrease their risk for meningococcal disease may also be vaccinated.  All unvaccinated college freshman, living in dormitories, should be vaccinated with Menactra or Menimmune, the older vaccine.