Recent outbreaks of bacterial meningitis on the campuses of Princeton University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, have raised concerns about possible future occurrences of the disease at UF.
Diane Webb, the senior registered nurse at the UF Student Health Care Center, said since 1999, UF has strongly encouraged students to get the vaccination for bacterial meningitis.
“More than 80 percent of UF students have received the bacterial meningitis vaccine,” Webb said. “Since February 2003, all UF students are required to either receive the meningitis vaccine or sign a waiver to decline.”
Nicole Iovine, the associate epidemiologist for UF Health Shands Hospital, said the B strain of bacterial meningitis caused the cases at Princeton and UC at Santa Barbara, but the vaccine offered by UF does not cover this specific strain.
The current vaccine introduces specific sugars to the body that are present in meningitis bacteria but are foreign to the immune system, which sparks a response to fight the bacteria.
The B strain differs in that it contains a sugar naturally found on many human cells. The body does not see this sugar as foreign, Iovine said, so it does not respond to fight the bacteria.
“There is a vaccine for the B (strain) that is already out in places like Europe and Australia, but it’s not licensed yet in the U.S.,” Iovine said. “When the Princeton epidemic occurred, they allowed students to use it because it was an emergency.”
She said her close relationship with the Alachua County Health Department would enable her to access the B vaccine if needed.
“Heaven forbid there was something to happen like this at UF, it would be part of my job to get it,” she said. “I’m confident we would be able to get it.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 2/26/2014 under the headline “Health Care Center prepared in event of meningitis outbreak"]
