Texas Physicians Urge Parents To Vaccinate Adolescents Against Meningitis

Main Category: Immune System / Vaccines
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 13 Feb 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Parents, vaccinate your young adolescent children against meningococcal disease, urge physicians of the Texas Medical Association (TMA). The statewide medical society and other medical leaders now recommend vaccinating young adolescents against the devastating disease. Outbreaks of bacterial meningitis in college dormitories have made headlines in recent years, and the disease can be fatal.

Meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the thin lining that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. There are several causes of meningitis, including bacterial infections that can permanently injure or kill people. The good news is there is a vaccine against meningococcal bacteria, the most common cause of bacterial meningitis. The vaccine is approved for anyone 2 through 55 years old.

"It's very important to protect your children from meningococcal disease, including meningococcal meningitis," says Amy Middleman, MD, a physician member of TMA's Be Wise - Immunizesm campaign. "The vaccine will protect your child against four of the five main types of meningococcus that cause serious disease," adds Dr. Middleman, a Houston pediatrician who specializes in adolescent health. TMA recommends parents make sure their 11-and 12-year-old children receive the vaccine as part of their annual check-up, before they have a greater chance of exposure.

The parents of Ryan Milley know the risk of not vaccinating. Meningococcal meningitis killed their vibrant teenage son in 1998, days after he graduated from high school. He became ill with an earache and fever on Father's Day. "Within 14 hours, he had blood coming out from every [opening] of his body," describes Ryan's mother, Frankie Milley. Ryan died only one day after becoming ill.

Though he died from a vaccine-preventable disease, only after his death did his parents learn a vaccine was available. The vaccine was not widely used at the time. Ms. Milley now strongly advocates for vaccination through her Meningitis Angels organization.

The new statewide push is to target adolescents, one of the most common groups to contract the disease. Adolescents are statistically more likely than babies and young children to die from the disease if they contract it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends catch-up vaccinations for all adolescents 13 to 18 years of age. It also recommends the vaccine for anyone with special risk factors who are between 2 and 55 years old.

TMA physicians, who advocate shielding people from disease through Be Wise-Immunize, hope recommending the vaccine to parents will alert them to act.

"I urge parents to ask their doctor about getting this shot for their child. The ideal time is when they take them to the physician for routine checks when they are 11 or 12 years old, or as young teenagers … certainly before heading to college," urges Dr. Middleman. "You definitely want to protect your child from a vaccine-preventable disease that could harm him or her, or even take a life."

Texas' low child immunization rates inspired TMA physicians to create the Be Wise - Immunize program three years ago. So far, Be Wise - Immunize has given more than 90,000 shots to Texas children. Funded by TMA's philanthropic arm, the TMA Foundation, the program provides physicians and volunteers important resources for educating patients and hosting vaccination clinics.

TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 43,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 120 component county medical societies around the state. Organized in 1853, TMA's key objective is to improve the health of all Texans.

Texas Medical Association