Hellllppp! DD19 at Drs office now- question

[Kallista]

She's living at home. Does this make a difference?

No. She'll be going to social events.

When I was in grad school, the local high school had a student die of meningitis and several other students get very, very sick. They were at a party together. All of them lived at home.

They public health department vaccinated every one at the high school and every one at our university. (One of the sick high school students had a boyfriend at the university.)

It's a relatively rare event, but the potential harm is high. The boy who died was sick in the afternoon and dead before midnight. It was fast and there was no saving him.

 

[dis-happy]

I'm cautious about vaccines too, but had my dd get this one before starting college. Happily, it was fully covered (either by insurance or our state, not sure which). If you catch it, it has a very high rate (30%???IIRC) of death or very bad reaction.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

I agree that this is a must have vax for college/military age. It can run through a population fast when they live in such close quarters.

I got the vax when i was in my mid 20's and WORKING in a residence hall. I was there 8-9 hours a day with lots of student contact. My doctor told me I didn't need it but there was a confirmed case or 2 in my building and I felt better for getting the vax.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

Absolutely yes!! My husband works with someone whose son died from meningitis mid year of his freshmen year of college. It was horrible and happened so fast. My kids will definately get the vaccine before they head off to college.

 

[monsterkitty]

I'm glad you had her get the vaccination.

I had meningitis my senior year in high school. Even if I moved my head a tiny bit, it felt as if someone was ripping my spine out through my neck. Meningitis was the most painful experience in my life.

 

[englishteacha]

I didn't, but I would if I were to return to regular college today. It wasn't a big concern when I was in college in 1998-2002, but when I studied in the UK there were signs everywhere about meningitis.

 

[livie1205]

good....my sons both had the vaccine when they turned 11 .The insurance covers starting at 11 because cdc changed the age from 17 to 11 because of all the close contact sports.If I had to pay out of pocket I still would have done it! It is worth it.

 

[dis-happy]

good....my sons both had the vaccine when they turned 11 .The insurance covers starting at 11 because cdc changed the age from 17 to 11 because of all the close contact sports.If I had to pay out of pocket I still would have done it! It is worth it.

One thing I read is that the vaccine is only good for 4 years. You'll want to check into getting another one done for college.

 

[Deb in IA]

Another "yes" vote.

I have SEEN adolescents/young adults go from normal, healthy people to death in a devastating short (as little as 24 hours) period of time. It is horrific and terrifying.

Meningococcal menigitis is bad, bad, bad. Do anything you can to prevent it.

 

[OctMtnWoods]

Yes.

I thought it was really nice for her doctor to wait 30 minutes while you consulted with us too. Hope he doesn't charge by the hour.

 

[Mickey527]

another College Health Nurse here, but retired now.
Remember, there are two types of meningitis, bacterial and viral. The vaccine will help guard against viral, the same as other virus vaccines like chicken pox but will not prevent bacterial.
Bacterial is the most prevalent, and spreads easily. We never had a case of viral meningitis at our college but had numerous cases of bacterial. They both have the same consequences if not caught early.
Our school did not require the immunization for those living off campus but if a student had the disease we had to notify all students in the classes and those without the vaccine and their parents were terrified. So go over the symptoms with your child, and have them seek help if any of the symptoms occur. I have read in college health newspapers about the students who had headaches and would take tylenol and go to bed to never wake up. And if they get the rash on their feet, it might be too late so don't rely on the rash as a diagnostic tool.
I would recommend to get the vaccine. I would call the college health center and ask what they charge for the vaccine, it might be less than what you would pay your Dr. We purchased the vaccine in bulk so it was less expensive. I do remember that they didn't sell less than 5 vaccines and private doctors had to buy 5 and might not ever use them so they charged more.

 

[Kerry1975]

Get it. My Dad died from meningitis. His kind doesn't have a vaccine so he would have got sick anyway.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

She's living at home. Does this make a difference?

I did not read the whole thread so forgive me if this has been said already, but we have had public school students in our high school who have contracted it and they live at home. My son goes to U Mass and lives at home....it is a REQUIREMENT for admission. In fact because they mixed up the medical records at one point they put a lock on his registration until it was fixed and they had proof that he had been immunized. IMHO 110 is a small price to pay to help prevent a life threatening disease.

 

[powellrj]

I was also on the fence about it for my DS. I just wasn't sure, but my family really put the full court press on me about it and decided to just let my DS decide for himself. He chose to get it. Ours was $184 and insurance didn't cover it, but if it gives him and my family peace of mind, its a small price.

 

[DawnCt1]

another College Health Nurse here, but retired now.
Remember, there are two types of meningitis, bacterial and viral. The vaccine will help guard against viral, the same as other virus vaccines like chicken pox but will not prevent bacterial.
Bacterial is the most prevalent, and spreads easily. We never had a case of viral meningitis at our college but had numerous cases of bacterial. They both have the same consequences if not caught early.
Our school did not require the immunization for those living off campus but if a student had the disease we had to notify all students in the classes and those without the vaccine and their parents were terrified. So go over the symptoms with your child, and have them seek help if any of the symptoms occur. I have read in college health newspapers about the students who had headaches and would take tylenol and go to bed to never wake up. And if they get the rash on their feet, it might be too late so don't rely on the rash as a diagnostic tool.
I would recommend to get the vaccine. I would call the college health center and ask what they charge for the vaccine, it might be less than what you would pay your Dr. We purchased the vaccine in bulk so it was less expensive. I do remember that they didn't sell less than 5 vaccines and private doctors had to buy 5 and might not ever use them so they charged more.

It is just the opposite. The vaccine is for bacterial menningitis. It does not protect against viral menningitis. Bacterial menningitis the disease that is most devastating.

 

[bethbuchall]

One thing I read is that the vaccine is only good for 4 years. You'll want to check into getting another one done for college.

The doctor's office told me that the new one is good for 10 years which is why they are giving it at the 10th grade physical now. Our insurance covered it completely.

 

[DawnCt1]

The doctor's office told me that the new one is good for 10 years which is why they are giving it at the 10th grade physical now. Our insurance covered it completely.

I don't remember the curve, but its the teen/early adult years where most are suseptable to the disease. The suseptability drops off as one progresses into adulthood. I think by 40 or so, the prevalance is greatly reduced. I don't remember exactly why. DH is flying home from England so I can't ask him. His "thing" is menningococcal vaccine. He would know the answer. That said, all of our DSs received the vaccine. We feel it is that important.

 

[carole88]

The doctor's office told me that the new one is good for 10 years which is why they are giving it at the 10th grade physical now. Our insurance covered it completely.

This quote was copied directly from the Sanofi Pasteur website (the manufacturer of the Menactra vaccine):

"The need for, or timing of, a booster dose of Menactra vaccine has not yet been determined."

We will have to wait and see if a booster is needed in the future. Currently there is none.

My DH is a pediatrician and both of our girls received the vaccine when they turned 11.