JEFFERSON CITY—The governor today (7-10) signed Senate Bill 716 into law, legislation that contains a provision sponsored by Sen. Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, to protect college students from meningococcal disease (meningitis), a highly contagious, and sometimes fatal, disease most often found in infants and young adults.

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.

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.

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.

Senator Walsh hopes the new rule will bring greater awareness to the severity of meningitis and encourage more youth to protect themselves through vaccination.

“One of the most important breakthroughs in medical history was the development of vaccines. During the 20th century, we were able to almost eliminate diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, polio and smallpox, all thanks to vaccinations. Often through a simple shot, we can now protect the public from some of the worst diseases known to man,” said Sen. Walsh. “Meningitis is extremely contagious and potentially deadly. Luckily, modern medicine has given us a vaccination to prevent its spread. By signing this requirement into law, we can protect those who are most at risk from contracting this disease.”

In 2013, a devastating bacterial meningitis outbreak occurred on two campuses, Princeton University and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). There were more than 12 confirmed cases between the two campuses. One student ultimately had to have both feet amputated because of the disease. The CDC—which recommends vaccination as the best way to protect against meningitis—eventually stepped in to vaccinate thousands of students.

“The health of our children 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 vaccination. I applaud the governor for recognizing the importance of this measure and thank him for signing it into law.”
For more information on meningitis vaccines from the CDC, click here or visit www.cdc.gov.

To follow the status of Sen. Walsh’s legislative actions, visit her official Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov.walsh.