Add Meningitis Shot to Summer Camp To-Do List

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Meningococcal disease is a result of either viral or bacterial infection. The viral infection is less severe, but the much rarer bacterial form can lead to meningitis, pneumonia and blood stream infections and prove lethal.

"Although there are only 2,000 to 3,000 cases [of meningococcal bacterial illnesses] per year, they tend to be serious. There is a 10 percent mortality rate and 10 to 20 percent of patients have significant and permanent damage, including neurological, hearing and learning problems," said Harry Keyserling, a professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

The bacteria are spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, such as occurs after coughing, kissing or sharing drinks from the same bottle. Fortunately, none of the bacteria that cause meningitis is as contagious as the common cold or the flu, and they are not spread by casual contact or by simply breathing the air where a person with meningitis has been, according to the CDC.

Those living in a close, barracks-type environments with a lot of other people -- such as college students, campers or those in the military -- are especially vulnerable to contagion, Keyserling said.

Particularly insidious as well is that the disease moves very quickly. Unfortunately, the early symptoms of meningitis mimic the simple flu, so patients and their parents often don't know that they should seek immediate treatment.

"Because meningococcal infection can be so rapid, often by the time the patients seeks treatment it's relatively late in its course. This is a disease you need to prevent rather than treat," Keyserling said.

The recommended vaccine is effective against four of the five causes of meningococcal disease, Keyserling said, including the most common infections, so that the vaccination is 80 percent effective. Only one injection is required to provide immunity.

Keyserling supports the CDC's recommendation for vaccinations for young people.

"It's very exciting that we have a new vaccine that will meet the need to decrease the cases of serious illnesses in the U.S., and we have to encourage parents to have their children vaccinated," he said.

More information

To learn more about meningococcal disease, head to the U.S. Centers for Disease Contol and Prevention.