Voices of Meningitis

The current public health recommendations call for "booster" dose of vaccine to help keep teens protected during years of greatest risk, following dose at 11 or 12 years of age. Georgia parents are advised to make sure their preteens and teens receive the meningitis vaccine before attending summer camps, or before school starts this fall."

On June 11, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) joined the Georgia Association of School Nurses (GASN) to launch in Georgia the Voices of Meningitis Boost Our Rates! initiative, designed to bring together the many voices of meningitis-school nurses, parents whose children have been affected by the disease, survivors and public health professionals-to raise awareness about the dangers and the importance of vaccination for preteens and teens.

Meningococcal disease is a serious infection that includes meningitis (swelling of the brain or spinal cord) and meningococcemia (blood infection). Activities common among adolescents, such as sharing drinking glasses, living in close quarters like dormitories or overnight summer camps, and kissing, can increase their risk for contracting the disease.  Meningococcal disease can be hard to recognize, especially in its early stages, because symptoms are similar to those of common viral illnesses. Unlike more common illnesses, the disease can progress quickly and may cause death or disability in just a single day.

The current public health recommendations call for a booster dose of vaccine to help keep teens protected during years of greatest risk, following dose at 11 or 12 years of age.  Parents need to be more aware that their adolescent children are at risk of contracting meningococcal disease if they have not received the second booster dose of meningococcal vaccine. The second booster dose is now recommended by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

GASN has joined organizations and community leaders across the country to ensure that parents are aware of the current recommendations and that both preteens and teens get vaccinated. In bringing the National Association of School Nurses and Sanofi Pasteur's Voices of Meningitis Boost Our Rates! initiative to Atlanta, GASN is rallying local organizations committed to adolescent health to help raise awareness and "boost" the area's vaccination rates.

DPH is also playing a vital role increasing awareness in all 159 public health counties in Georgia.

"In Georgia, we are building an even stronger relationship with public health nurses, school nurses, parents, and healthcare providers to help improve our immunization rates among adolescents who receive their second booster of the meningococcal vaccine during the middle and high school years," said J. Patrick O'Neal, M.D., director of health protection for DPH. "Adolescents have the highest rates of meningitis and it is important to maintain a child's immunizations to protect against childhood preventable diseases."

Meningococcal disease, which can cause meningitis, may be rare, but it can kill an otherwise healthy child in just a single day. Vaccination is the most effective way to help protect against meningitis, and public health officials recommend vaccination at age 11 or 12 years, with a booster dose for teens by 18 years of age to help protect them when they are at greatest risk of infection, including their college years.

Many parents may be unaware of the importance of vaccination, which may have contributed to low immunization rates in Georgia. According to the CDC's most recent data, which cover immunization rates from 2010, only 63.5 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds in Georgia have received one or more doses of meningococcal vaccine, highlighting the ongoing need for educating parents about meningitis and vaccination.

"While meningococcal vaccination rates among adolescents in Georgia have improved, we're still not meeting the federal government's Healthy People 2020 goal of 80 percent," said Jeannie Edwards, R.N., past GASN director. "We are calling on county health departments in all 18 public health districts statewide, health care providers, community youth centers and civic groups with a stake in adolescent health to help us 'boost' our rates by educating parents about the importance of meningitis vaccination and the newly recommended booster dose for teens. My hope is that all Georgia parents will make sure their preteens and teens receive the meningitis vaccine now before attending summer camps, or before school starts this fall."

DPH and GASN aren't the only ones raising their "voice." National and community organizations across the country have joined the Voices of Meningitis "Boost Our Rates!" initiative by pledging their support to spread this important message and "boost" meningococcal vaccination rates among adolescents nationwide.  To view a list of organizations supporting the initiative, visit www.nasn.org.

Voices of Meningitis "Boost Our Rates!" includes educational materials for parents and health care providers and features a comprehensive website, www.VoicesOfMeningitis.org, and a Facebook page where visitors can join the conversation and hear compelling stories of families that have been personally affected by meningitis.

For more information about the Voices of Meningitis educational initiative, visit www.VoicesOfMeningitis.org, or join the conversation on Facebook.  For information about the National Association of School Nurses, visit www.nasn.org or call 866-627-6767.

Voices of Meningitis "Boost Our Rates!" is a program of the National Association of School Nurses in collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi.

Story by Connie F. Smith, DPH Communications