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Home > Blogs > Lakota Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > March > 11 > Entry
Vaccines for college
State Senator Gary Cates (R-Butler County) recently introduced legislation designed to prevent the spread of serious disease on Ohio’s college campuses. Senate Bill 69, which is similar to legislation Sen. Cates introduced during the 127th General Assembly, would require all students living in on-campus housing at an Ohio college or university to be vaccinated for meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B, unless they are cleared for religious or medical reasons.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, young adults are at an increased risk of contracting meningitis and hepatitis B due to several lifestyle factors, including living in dorms. They recommend that college students get vaccinated to protect themselves from infection.
Over the past three years, cases of meningitis have been reported at Miami University and Ohio State University. Last month, two students at Ohio University were infected with the disease, which can cause brain damage, hearing loss, learning disability and even death.
Sen. Cates explained that the idea for SB 69 was brought to him by Ruth Fenton, a resident of Butler County, who has two daughters in college, one enrolled at Indiana University and the other at the University of Cincinnati. Ms. Fenton was surprised to learn that while her daughter at IU was required to get vaccinated for meningitis and hepatitis B before living on campus, Ohio did not require her daughter at UC to do the same.
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