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July 8, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"New Law Requires Vaccines in [Pennsylvania] College Dorms" Philadelphia Inquirer (inq.philly.com) (07/06/02) P. B1; O'Neill, James M.

A new measure signed into law last week requires colleges students living in Pennsylvania dormitories this fall to be vaccinated against meningitis or sign a waiver acknowledging that they are aware of the vaccine's availability and have decided not to get immunized.  Many colleges already let incoming students know about the vaccine and its availability, and many also provide the shots to students on request.  At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Evelyn Wiener, director of student health services, says a voluntary notification system has shown encouraging results, with 60 percent of incoming freshmen in the fall of 2001 volunteering to be vaccinated, up from just 45 percent in the previous year.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that college freshmen get vaccinated against the disease, noting that bacterial meningitis is most common among first-year students living in dormitories.

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