Important Bacterial Meningitis Information

Due to the recent case of bacterial meningitis and subsequent death of a UW Madison student, the Health Education Center at Madison College would like to share some important information to help answer any questions you might have and to provide you with additional resources should you have further questions.

Meningococcal disease is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection that can lead to meningococcal meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, or meningococcal septicemia, an infection of the blood.

Meningococcal disease, caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis, is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in older children and young adults in the United States. It strikes 1,400 to 3,000 Americans each year and is responsible for approximately 150 to 300 deaths.

Adolescents and young adults account for nearly 30 percent of all cases of meningitis in the United States. In addition, approximately 100 to 125 cases of meningococcal disease occur on college campuses each year, and five to 15 students will die as a result. Evidence shows approximately 70 to 80 percent of cases in the college age group are caused by serogroup C, Y, or W-135, which are potentially vaccine-preventable.

The American College Health Association supports the meningococcal vaccination recommendation issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This recommendation states that all incoming college freshman living in dormitories (or residence halls) receive the conjugate meningococcal vaccine that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

For more information, please refer to the Center for Disease Control’s website or contact Madison College Campus Nurse ahoffmann[at] matcmadison [dot] edu (Anna Marie Hoffmann) at (608) 246-6027.