New meningitis shot are urged for children ages 11 to 12, students entering high school, and college freshmen headed for dorm life should be vaccinated, according to federal health officials and the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Although meningococcal meningitis affects only about 3,000 people nationwide each year, it kills one-fifth of all adolescents who get it.  This is a very bad disease, it progresses, in adolescents, very rapidly.  You can have a teen in a shopping mall a 2 in the afternoon, in the emergency room at 6 in the evening, and death by midnight.

Meningococcal meningitis doesn’t always include classic meningitis symptoms– headache and stiff neck.  It can start like the flu and progress to organ failure and tissue damage requiring amputation.

The new vaccine was approved in January, in February a government advisory panel urged federal health officials to recommend the shot be given to certain age groups–primarily those at the highest risk.

The recommendations are aimed at doctors who will be giving the shots, plus parents and the more than 8 million U.S. youngsters urged to get it. This group includes 11 to 12 year olds at routine doctor checkups, 15 year olds or those entering high school, because they are becoming more socially active and exposed to more germs, and the college dorm-dwellers, because close quarters spread disease easily.

Only a single shot is necessary–youngsters who are vaccinated at any of these ages do not need a second shot.  It is expected to protect against the disease for up to 10 years.  Health officials aren’t recommending the shot for all teens due to the limited vaccine supplies.  An older meningitis shot, effective for a shorter time has been given in the past to at-risk children with chronic diseases or who are traveling to outbreak areas.

Already widely available at most doctor’s offices, the new shot is expensive, costing patients about $100, but is likely to be covered by many health insurance plans.  The pediatrics academy hopes that within three years all U.S. adolescents will receive routine meningitis shots at age 11.  Check with your doctor about having your teen vaccinated.