Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Vaccination stops meningitis outbreak

NYTimes story here.

At least 16,000 people have been vaccinated; an estimated 30,000 to 100,000 were believed to be at risk. Dr. Varma said the number of vaccinations was probably higher, but doctors are not required to report having given the vaccine, and the data come mainly from large medical practices and organizations like the Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

presumably this was meningococcal meningitis, a disease spread via ordinary ways (coughing, kissing, direct contact including shaking hands)...we usually vaccinate kids who are going to college or into the military to stop epidemics...and the bad news is that a tiny percentage of people are "carriers": in their throats and can spread it.

It is not an STD....I know of two doctor's kids who developed cases, presumably because their fathers had been in contact with a case and brought it home.

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