New Jersey: Meningitis cases at Princeton University in 2013- 8th reported

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.centraljersey.com/articl...ton_packet/news/doc524edcacc1271485176983.txt

PRINCETON: Princeton student illness possible meningitis
DATE POSTED: Friday, October 4, 2013 11:32 AM EDT
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer

A 21-year-old female student at Princeton University has possible meningococcal disease, the same bacteria that can cause meningitis, according to Princeton?s municipal health officer. Five meningitis cases were connected to the school earlier this year...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NJ: Princeton Univerity student illness possible meningitis

Re: NJ: Princeton Univerity student illness possible meningitis

Source: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/...ingitis_possible_at_princeton_university.html

Seventh case of meningitis possible at Princeton University, officials say
By Nicole Mulvaney/The Times of Trenton
on November 10, 2013 at 7:09 PM, updated November 10, 2013 at 9:29 PM

PRINCETON ? Another Princeton University student is being treated for a probable meningococcal disease, the same bacteria that causes meningitis, a university spokesman said this evening.

Hospitalized today, the student, who lives on campus, could be the university?s seventh case of meningitis since March and the third case since the state Department of Health declared an outbreak of the disease at the school in May...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/emerg...-imported-halt-ivy-league-outbreak-2D11603651

Emergency meningitis vaccine will be imported to halt Ivy League outbreak
JoNel Aleccia NBC News
26 minutes ago

Emergency doses of a meningitis vaccine not approved for use in the U.S. may soon be on the way to Princeton University to halt an outbreak of the potentially deadly infection that has sickened seven students since March.

Government health officials said Friday they have agreed to import Bexsera, a vaccine licensed only in Europe and Australia that protects against meningitis B, a strain not covered by the shots recommended for college students in the U.S...

 

[Emily]

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Here's a couple of articles from the local paper. The first one has some comments from a poster who says she was the 3rd student infected.

http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2013/11/breaking-seventh-princeton-associated-case-of-meningitis-treated-at-hospital/

http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2013/11/breaking-trustees-to-consider-emergency-meningitis-vaccines-for-princeton-community/

 

[Emily]

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2013/11/email-cautions-against-spread-of-meningitis-before-orange-and-black-ball-yale-game/

News & Notes | Nov. 14
Email cautions against spread of meningitis before Orange and Black Ball, Yale game

By Emily Tseng ? Managing Editor ? November 14, 2013
...
The email, which had the subject ?Alcohol and Meningitis,? advised students to prevent the spread of the disease by using their own cups, washing their hands frequently, using hand sanitizer and refraining from sharing drinking glasses, smoking materials or eating utensils.

Alcohol consumption may put students at increased risk for spreading the bacteria that causes meningitis, the email warned...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Source: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/...ngitis_vaccine_after_outbreak_of_7_cases.html

Princeton University students to be offered meningitis vaccine after outbreak of 7 cases
By Mike Davis/The Times
on November 18, 2013 at 4:52 PM, updated November 18, 2013 at 5:03 PM

PRINCETON -- All Princeton University undergraduate students, graduate students living in dormitories, and staff members with certain illnesses will be offered a special meningitis vaccine in an attempt to stop a campus outbreak of seven cases since March.

The vaccine, known as ?Bexsero,? fights a rare strain of meningitis that is more common in Europe and Australia, university spokesman Martin Mbugua said in a statement released this evening...

 

[Emily]

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2013/11/meningitis-one-students-recovery/

'The fastest, most unsettling disease': one student's recovery from meningitis

By Charles Kyungchan Min ? Contributor ? November 18, 2013
...
?I woke up the morning after spring Lawnparties just feeling really miserable, which I first thought was mostly the hangover,? Peter Carruth ?14 said. ?But my headache wasn?t getting any better, and I was still feeling very awful.?

http://lawnparties.com/policy.html

UNIVERSITY POLICIES & REGULATIONS

Lawnparties is a University sponsored event and as such all the policies in Rights, Rules and Responsibilities apply.

Alcoholic beverages will not be permitted at the USG Lawnparties at Quadrangle Club.

http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/can-i-drink-alcohol-after-vaccination

Alcohol appears to play a role with respect to getting meningitis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among other health organizations, for instance, recommends limiting alcohol intake (as well as not sharing drinks) to lower meningitis infection risk. It's also possible that excessive alcohol consumption ? 15 or more drinks a week ? as well as other factors, including poor diet, smoking, and insufficient sleep or exercise, may increase one's chance of getting meningitis, and lots of other illnesses.

That article discusses why one should avoid drinking for days (at least) after receiving a meningitis vaccine. If someone has difficulty avoiding alcohol during a meningitis outbreak or during a vaccination campaign, that could indicate a dependency that needs to be addressed.

 

[Emily]

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Another Princeton student who had meningitis B did an interview:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/princeton-meningitis-pati_n_4305436.html

He said he got sick over the summer in Greece, though, so might not have contracted it at Princeton. If he did, he was told that he would have had to have carried it symptomatically until something unleashed the attack. If that is so, none of the students who have spoken to the press or commented after articles have indicated that public health investigators are doing research into factors that fuel the bacteria. So far I've just read that their movements and contacts have been carefully documented.

This is a very serious illness, (though fortunately students seem to be recovering beautifully thus far), so I think all possible risk factors should be investigated and shared with the public.

The proposed vaccine sounds very investigational.

http://www.fiercevaccines.com/story/uk-rejection-bexsero-hits-novartis-vaccine-unit/2013-07-25

U.K. rejection of Bexsero hits Novartis vaccine unit
July 25, 2013 | By Nick Paul Taylor

Bringing a new vaccine to market in Europe is tough. After winning approval at the European level, manufacturers must show the value of the product to national decision makers. Novartis ($NVS) is in the middle of this process with its meningitis B vaccine, and still has a long way to go.

After receiving European approval for meningitis B vaccine Bexsero in January, Novartis looked to the United Kingdom as a possible early adopter. However, the U.K. Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)--a similar body to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)--has advised against adding Bexsero to the routine vaccination program. The decision could have significant consequences for Novartis' struggling vaccine business, which was the only unit at the Swiss pharma to post an operating loss in the last quarter, Reuters reports.
...
After considering two cost-effectiveness analyses--one independent, one from Novartis--JCVI concluded Bexsero is highly unlikely to meet U.K. value criteria at any price. JCVI also noted that antibody responses from Bexsero wane rapidly and its efficacy against disease is yet to be established. If Novartis is to overturn the decision, it must allay some of the concerns expressed by JCVI. "We need to know how well it will protect, how long it will protect and if it will stop the bacteria from spreading from person to person," Department of Health immunization director David Salisbury said.



Read more: U.K. rejection of Bexsero hits Novartis vaccine unit - FierceVaccines http://www.fiercevaccines.com/story...ovartis-vaccine-unit/2013-07-25#ixzz2lAM5myEx

 

[Emily]

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&ved=0CFcQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dovepress.com%2Fgetfile.php%3FfileID%3D13104&ei=mc-NUrLADKrIigK8hYH4Ag&usg=AFQjCNE37RxD3nhqOi3pewDa0TJeBJW6LQ&bvm=bv.56987063,d.cGE

New recombinant vaccines for the prevention
of meningococcal B disease
Muhamed-Kheir Taha
Ala-Eddine Deghmane
Institut Pasteur, Unit of Invasive Bacterial Infections and National Reference Center for Meningococci, Paris, France
Vaccine: Development and Therapy 2012:2 15?22
? 2012 Taha and Deghmane, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd. This is an Open Access article
which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work is properly cited.

One vaccine (Bexsero?; Novartis), under registration, is a multicomponent recombinant vaccine that showed an acceptable safety profile and covers around 80% of the currently circulating serogroup B isolates. However, its reactogenicity in infants seems to be high and the long term persistence of the immune response needs to be determined.
...
Interestingly, rates of fever ($38?C) among adolescents were low and reports of fever 39?C or higher were rare and no evidence of increasing rates of reactions with subsequent doses of Bexsero/4CMenB was identified. However, two cases of juvenile arthritis, individually assessed as probably related to Bexsero/4CMenB, were reported 170 and 198 days, respectively, after the third dose (3-doses scheduled at 0, 1, 2 months) among the 303 per-protocol subjects. These cases require further investigations due to the known association between invasive meningococcal infection and arthritis.57

 

[Shiloh]

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Re: New Jersey: 7th meningitis case at Princeton University in 2013

Source: http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2...ents-say-they-plan-to-get-meningitis-vaccine/


76 percent of students say they plan to get meningitis vaccine
By Joseph Sheehan Konadu Amoakuh ? November 20, 2013

Out of a total of 259 students interviewed by The Daily Princetonian between Tuesday and Wednesday, 197, or 76 percent, said they plan to get a vaccine not yet licensed in the United States that will be offered by the University to combat a campus outbreak of type B meningitis...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: New Jersey: Meningitis cases at Princeton University in 2013- 8th reported

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/princeton-reports-8th-meningitis-case-2D11641453

Princeton reports 8th meningitis case
JoNel Aleccia NBC News
41 minutes ago

...The student, who was not identified, developed symptoms Wednesday and was hospitalized after reporting to the student health center at the New Jersey school, where visits have risen 10 percent in recent weeks, officials said.

Health officials are conducting tests to determine if the newest case is caused by meningitis serogroup B, the strain responsible for the previous infections which have affected six other Princeton students and a student visitor since March...

 

[Emily]

Re: New Jersey: Meningitis cases at Princeton University in 2013- 8th reported

http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2013/11/concern-over-meningitis-outbreak-impacts-big-sibs-princeton-disabilities-awareness-carnival/

Concern over meningitis outbreak impacts Big Sibs, Princeton Disabilities Awareness carnival

By Angela Wang James Evans ? November 24, 2013

Several campus organizations have had their events cancelled or seen reduced participation due to concerns by outside groups over the outbreak of bacterial meningitis at Princeton...

On a more positive note, not all events were cancelled:

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/11/princeton_university_students_take_on_inmates_in_ivies_vs_inmates_chess_competition.html

 

[Shiloh]

Re: New Jersey: Meningitis cases at Princeton University in 2013- 8th reported

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/princeton-meningitis-shots-start-dec-9-2D11661666

Princeton meningitis shots to start Dec. 9
Maggie Fox NBC News
3 minutes ago

Students at Princeton University can start getting special free meningitis shots in December, according to a letter sent out to students on Tuesday.

The vaccines protect against the B strain of meningitis, which isn?t part of the current U.S. meningitis vaccine. The shots are being imported from Europe under a special license to help fight a small outbreak of the B strain of meningitis at the school, which has infected eight students there...

 

[Emily]

Re: New Jersey: Meningitis cases at Princeton University in 2013- 8th reported

This article reports on the consent form students will sign. Personally I'd clarify the consent form with an attorney specializing in vaccine injury cases before signing.

http://dailyprincetonian.com/news/2013/12/meningitis-vaccine-consent-form-will-not-require-students-to-waive-rights/

 

[Shiloh]

Re: New Jersey: Meningitis cases at Princeton University in 2013- 8th reported

Source: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S38/66/23O09/index.xml?section=topstories

University begins providing meningitis B vaccine
Posted December 9, 2013; 04:45 p.m.
by Emily Aronson, Office of Communications


Princeton University began providing the first dose of the meningitis B vaccine to recommended campus groups on Monday, Dec. 9, with 1,261 individuals vaccinated as of 4:30 p.m. The vaccine clinics are being held from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Dec. 9-12, in the Frist Campus Center multipurpose room. More information about the clinics is available on the University's meningitis website...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: New Jersey: Meningitis cases at Princeton University in 2013- 8th reported

Source: http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/...so_far_against_rare_strain_of_meningitis.html

Princeton University reports 3,355 students have received meningitis B vaccine in first two days
By Alyssa Mease/The Times of Trenton
on December 11, 2013 at 11:45 AM, updated December 11, 2013 at 11:47 AM


PRINCETON - Princeton University has administered meningitis vaccinations to 3,355 students over the first two days of a special on-campus clinic in attempt to thwart an outbreak of the deadly disease, university officials said today...