Meningitis sounds scary and bad, but if certain precautions are taken, it is very treatable and preventable.
A recent outbreak of 7 students at Princeton, and 3 at University of California Santa Barbara by 2 different strains shows the importance of these steps.
1. Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently. Yeah, your hands might get dry, but put some lotion on them. It beats an ER visit or even hospitalization.
2. Get the Quadrivalent Meningoccal vaccine. Although the strains of Meningitis in California were not covered by the vaccine, you get enough coverage with this vaccine. It is indicated at ages 11-18 and recommended in all first year college students.
3. Cough into your arm. People are always coughing into their hands. The human mouth is quite filthy, and putting the germs in your hands just allows them to proliferate on another person.
4. Sneeze into your arm. Again, rather than explosion of mouth germs into the air around you, it is much better to cover your mouth with the bend in your arm.
5. Rent an apartment away from a campus dormitory. Totally neglects the full college experience. It is ok, I did it and survived.
by Justus Peters MD
A recent outbreak of 7 students at Princeton, and 3 at University of California Santa Barbara by 2 different strains shows the importance of these steps.
1. Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently. Yeah, your hands might get dry, but put some lotion on them. It beats an ER visit or even hospitalization.
2. Get the Quadrivalent Meningoccal vaccine. Although the strains of Meningitis in California were not covered by the vaccine, you get enough coverage with this vaccine. It is indicated at ages 11-18 and recommended in all first year college students.
3. Cough into your arm. People are always coughing into their hands. The human mouth is quite filthy, and putting the germs in your hands just allows them to proliferate on another person.
4. Sneeze into your arm. Again, rather than explosion of mouth germs into the air around you, it is much better to cover your mouth with the bend in your arm.
5. Rent an apartment away from a campus dormitory. Totally neglects the full college experience. It is ok, I did it and survived.
by Justus Peters MD
