What College Students Need to Know About Meningitis B

Don’t let the hype scare you—yes, Meningitis B is dangerous and deadly—but it’s also preventable.

What is Meningitis B? It’s a bacterial infection that causes infection of the lining of your brain, giving you flu-like symptoms—and a high likelihood of complications, in addition to a high risk of death.

It can occur without warning, but there are several situations in which the bacteria breeds—situations in which you’ll find yourself frequently, especially if you’re a student on a campus.

If you’re heading back to school soon, make sure you get your meningitis vaccine—it may even be required by your campus health department. The meningococcal vaccine can be 85 to 100 effective at preventing infection.

What do you need to know about meningitis B? Let’s take a closer look at what it is, how you can prevent it, and what you should do if you show symptoms.

1. What is it?

Meningitis B is a bacterial infection that attacks the brain and spinal cord. It can also cause blood infections.

Meningococcal disease spreads easily from person to person through close contact.

People aged 10 through 25 are at a higher risk because of their behaviors—sharing food and drinks, and living close together.

The effects can be deadly. On average, 10 percent of adolescents who develop meningitis B will die within 24 hours, or could also lead to long-term effects such as scarring, blindness, deafness, or the loss of limbs, and brain damage.

What does it look like? Early signs can look like the flu, which is dangerous. Common symptoms are fever, headache, stiff neck, sleepiness, and confusion. More severe symptoms include muscle pain, sensitivity to light, nausea and vomiting, convulsions, and pale skin.

How do you get it? Sharing drinks and utensils, kissing, and anything involving close contact. If you play team sports, or are in any other activities where you have close contact with your peers, you’re at risk.

2. How can you prevent it?

There are three ways to prevent yourself and others from contracting meningitis B: vaccination, good hygiene, and immune system enhancement.

The meningitis B vaccine is relatively new and is recommended for babies.

If you’re older and heading off to school and want to get vaccinated, you can get vaccinated with a slightly different meningococcal vaccine—serogroup B meningococcal--that will protect you from the disease.

There are at least twelve types of “serogroups,” or groups of bacteria that cause meningitis. Serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y cause most cases of the disease. The Serogroup B meningococcal vaccine can help prevent Meningitis B.

Good personal hygiene—especially in group situations—can help prevent the spread of the disease. Do not share food, glasses, water bottles or eating utensils with anyone. Don’t share tissues, towels, lip gloss, lipstick, or chapstick. Be sure to wash your hands frequently—especially before and after meals—with warm water and soap.

Someone who has bacterial meningitis is contagious for about a day after starting antibiotic treatment, so be extra careful around folks who might be sick.

Enhancing your immune system? Keep it healthy. Eat a healthy diet, rich in fruits and veggies. Sleep enough, and exercise regularly. Don’t drink, do drugs, or smoke either—your immune system will thank you.

3. What should you do if you show symptoms of Meningitis B?

Antibiotics are the only treatment for meningitis B.

Seek help immediately—go to your nearest emergency room.

Tell your healthcare provider what you suspect you might have, get tested, and get on antibiotics—they may save your life.

Tell everyone with whom you’ve been in contact what you have so that they can get treated, too.

While you’re at a risk for meningitis B by virtue of being a student in close quarters with other students, you can take prudent precautions to avoid infection.

Do the best you can—consider the vaccination, and do your best to maintain your health and wellness, and a basic level of cleanliness.

Remember: if you suspect you have symptoms, go get checked out at campus health or your nearest emergency room. You’ll be thankful you did.

Of course, if all this talk about vaccines, diagnostics, and prevention has your academic interest piqued, you might want to read more about healthcare professions.