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Other Recommended Vaccines

These are recommended, but not required.

HEPATITIS B VACCINE

Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by the Hepatitis B virus. Infection with the virus can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure, liver cancer, and even death. Each year more than 240,000 people contract hepatitis B in the U.S., 90% of which occur in young adults.

Hepatitis B is 100 times more contagious than HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. A person is at risk for Hepatitis B if you have unprotected sex, share needles for IV drug use or for body piercing or tattooing, share toothbrushes or razors, or have a job which exposes him/her to blood or body fluids.

The medical staff at the Davis Health Center strongly supports and recommends that all students be vaccinated against Hepatitis B.

The Davis Health Center offers the vaccine, which consists of a 3-dose series of injections. The vaccine cost $55 per dose.

Get more information on Hepatitis B from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

MENINGITIS VACCINE

Meningococcal disease is a severe bacterial infection of the bloodstream or meninges (a thin lining covering the brain and spinal cord) caused by the meningococcus germ. Anyone can get meningococcal disease, but it is more common in infants and children. For some adolescents, such as first-year college students living in dormitories, there is an increased risk of meningococcal disease. Every year in the United States approximately 2,500 people are infected and 300 die from the disease. Other persons at increased risk include household contacts of a person known to have had this disease, immunocompromised people, and people traveling to parts of the world where meningococcal meningitis is prevalent. The American College Health Association estimates that 125-175 cases of the disease occur annually on college campuses and that 15-20 students die each year as a result.

There are four vaccines available for the prevention of meningitis. The preferred vaccine for college students is Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) which is available as Menactra (Sanofi Pasteur) and Menveo (Novartis). Either one of these vaccines is highly recommended for college students living in residence halls. Students should receive one dose before starting college or if previously vaccinated (at age 12-16 years) a booster dose. Menomune (MPS4) should be used for adults ages 56 and older and not the first choice for vaccination for college students.  These vaccines are 85 to 100 percent effective in preventing the four kinds of meningococcus meningitis (types A, C, Y, W-135). These four types cause about 70 percent of the disease in the United States. Recently two vaccines for meningitis B, Trumenba (a 3 dose series - Wyeth) and Bexsaro (2 dose series - Novartis) are now available and have been recommended only for certain populations and not recommended for college students yet.

The State University of New York is required by New York State Public Health Law (NYS PHL) 2167 to distribute information about meningococcal disease and vaccination to all students meeting the enrollment criteria, whether they live on or off campus. Colleges in New York State are required to maintain a record of a meningitis response form that acknowledges a receipt of information of meningococcal disease risks and refusal or receipt of meningococcal meningitis immunization signed by the student or student's parent or guardian.

Contact the Health Center for more information and places where you might be able to receive the vaccine. You may also get more information on Meningitis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).