More take a shot at deadly disease

Few diseases can strike and leave their victim deaf, brain-damaged or dead within 24 hours.

But such is the nature of meningitis, the rare but deadly brain-attacking disease that can be passed to others by sharing silverware or swapping a juicy kiss.

Though the disease is not common — its bacterial form infects 1,000 to 2,600 Americans each year — the meningococcal bacterium can be blocked by a single vaccination.

More colleges and universities have started requiring the immunization for incoming freshmen, who are at higher risk for contracting it than upperclassmen or non-college students the same age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And meningitis advocacy groups are encouraging middle- and high-school nurses to promote the shot to even younger students.

"I know this vaccine can save a life," said Carolyn Seifert, an Apopka High School nurse. She is a member of the Florida Association of School Nurses, which began advocating last year for more meningitis vaccinations. "I really don't want to see students suffer needlessly."

Meningitis is tough to spot in its early stages because it acts like a common virus. Early symptoms include fever, weakness, pain in the head and neck, nausea and vomiting. Sensitivity to light, an altered mental state and convulsions can accompany these symptoms.

A rash may appear as the disease progresses, according to the National Meningitis Association. Irreversible brain damage can occur within 24 hours in adults, and even sooner in children.

Some types of meningitis are caused by a virus and others by bacterium, but the bacterial form is more deadly. The bacteria is transmitted through saliva, not through blood or sexual fluids like a sexually transmitted disease.

About 10 percent of Americans who are infected each year will die. Among survivors, one in five is left with severe medical problems such as amputation, brain damage, deafness and organ damage. Teens and young adults have a five times greater risk of dying than older victims, Seifert said.

Outbreaks of meningitis are still rare, said Phillip Barkley, director of University of Florida's health center, where vaccination statistics were not readily available. "But we've got a lot of room for improvement," he said.

Most students are vaccinated before coming to college, according to Erin Moya, marketing director for health services at UCF. Only when a student on campus contracts meningitis — as was the case in 2008 when a business major was hospitalized with the disease — have students crowded the clinic to get a shot.