New vaccine requirement met with resistance.(Brief Article)

2002 MAY 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- College officials may have to needle students into getting a required vaccination.

About 6000 of the 10,000 students who plan to live on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs next year have yet to get their required meningitis vaccination.

A new state law prohibits students from living on campus at either private or public colleges in Connecticut without first being vaccinated.

"The response has been somewhat underwhelming," Mike Kurland, director of health services at UConn, told the Connecticut Post.

Adopted in June of 2001, the law said that returning students have until June 1 to show proof of vaccination. New students have until July 15. The law goes into effect for the coming school year.

Last year, Fairfield University had two reported cases of meningitis. Both students recovered. But both also had Type B, the strain that is not covered by the vaccine required by the state. The vaccine students must take covers types A, C, Y and W135, which account for about two-thirds of the nation's bacterial meningitis cases.

"Particularly since we had meningitis on campus last year, you would think more of them would be responding," said Anne H. Cole, director of Fairfield University's Health Center.