JEFFERSON CITY—In the final hours of the 2014 session, the Missouri Senate passed legislation containing a provision identical to Sen. Walsh’s legislation (Senate Bill 748) designed to protect college students from contracting the deadly meningococcal disease, commonly known as meningitis. The act ensures those most at risk of the potentially deadly disease be vaccinated before attending college.

Under the provision, each student attending a public institution of higher education who lives in on-campus housing must receive the meningococcal vaccine unless he or she has a medical or religious exemption. The Department of Higher Education must oversee, supervise, and enforce this requirement and may promulgate rules. The Department of Higher Education may consult with the Department of Health and Senior Services. This act contains a delayed effective date of July 1, 2015.

Meningitis disease affects the lining of the brain and spinal cord when it is infected with certain bacteria. The disease progresses quickly, starting with flu-like symptoms that escalate rapidly, sometimes leaving survivors with damage to the nervous system, including hearing loss, epilepsy, limb loss and cognitive impairment.

“It’s critical that parents and college students understand the risks of contracting meningitis and the importance of getting vaccinated,” said Sen. Walsh. “This disease spreads quickly, especially in tight living quarters, such as dorms. This measure will go far in protecting students from a life-altering illness that is avoidable through a simple vaccine.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1,000 to 2,600 Americans contract meningitis annually, and one in 10 dies. Anyone can get meningococcal disease, but it is most common in infants less than one year of age and young adults, around ages 16 to 21 years old. College students living in dorms are at especially increased risk because of communal living situations.

Last year, Sen. Walsh was successful in passing legislation requiring the Department of Health and Senior Services to publicize rules governing the immunization against meningitis for children attending public, private, and parochial or parish schools.

“Public health should always be one of our greatest priorities in the Legislature,” said Sen. Walsh. “My provision protects both students, and by extension, the general public, from the spread of a deadly disease through vaccinations. I’m thankful to my colleagues for supporting my efforts to address this public safety issue.”

For more information on meningitis vaccines from the CDC, click here or visit www.cdc.gov.
To follow the status of Senator Walsh’s legislative actions, visit her official Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov.walsh.