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February 05, 2003

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Health Officials Question Requiring New College Immunizations" Associated Press (www.ap.org) (02/04/03); Bulkeley, Deborah

The Mississippi House is considering legislation that would make it mandatory for incoming college freshmen to state universities to be immunized, but the state's epidemiologist says the plan is unnecessary and would be too expensive to implement.  Under the proposal, college freshmen would have to be vaccinated against hepatitis strains A and B and students living on campus in school dormitories would have to be immunized against meningitis.  But state epidemiologist Dr. Marie Currier notes that the state Department of Health follows the immunization guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and says according to the CDC's guidelines, hepatitis A and meningitis are not recommended vaccinations for college freshmen because they are rare diseases.

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