how common is meningitis?

Jane Hession responds:

There are approximately 3,000 cases of meningococcal disease each year in the United States. About 10-12% of the cases are fatal. While this number might seem small and suggests meningococcal disease is "rare,” if your child is one of those who becomes ill with--or dies from-- meningococcal disease, as did my 17-year-old son, numbers don't matter. The truth is, once someone has contracted the disease, it can be too late to stop its devastation or save a life.

The positive news is that there is a vaccine that protects against four of the five serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis, the bacteria that is responsible for approximately 70% of the cases of the disease in the United States each year. This vaccine is called Menactra and is approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration among persons aged 2 to 55 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends meningococcal immunization for all adolescents 11 through 18 years of age, and college freshmen living in dormitories. It is particularly important that adolescents and young adults receive the vaccine as this age group has an increased risk of contracting the disease.

For more information about Menactra, please visit the "What is Meningitis" section of this Web site and click on "Prevention."