Campus Health Scare numero dos

Meningitis freaks me out.

A story featured on The Today Show website tells of an 18-year-old girl who survived the disease but had to have a foot and a few fingers amputated. And she should consider herself lucky. Another family, who told their story on the show this week, lost a daughter/sister to the disease suddenly, soon after she started college. The day her parents left her at her college campus was the last day they would see her alive -- and all because of a disease that could have been prevented with a simple vaccine.

Apparently, college campuses are prime breeding grounds for bacterial meningitis, an infection of the spinal fluid. With so many students living in close (and not necessarily very clean) quarters, college dorms are probably crawling with germs -- but few are as serious as bacterial meningitis. According to the CDC, "Advanced bacterial meningitis can lead to brain damage, coma, and death. Survivors can suffer long-term complications, including hearing loss, mental retardation, paralysis, and seizures."

Hearing the frightening stories of meningitis among college students makes me stop and wonder if I ever got the vaccine. I'm almost certain I did; in fact, I believe my college required all students to prove that they were vaccinated against it before moving into dorms. To any college that does not yet require the vaccine for all students, I suggest starting the requirement with the next incoming class. And to any student, or anyone, for that matter, who is not protected against meningitis, I suggest you get the vaccine.