Many incoming college students must take the meningococcal vaccine or risk not being admitted to their school.
But 41 percent of the vaccine's recipients report headaches, 35 percent report fatigue, and 20 percent report aches and pains in their joints.
Five recipients of the vaccine have developed Guillain Barre Syndrome, a condition similar to multiple sclerosis.
In addition, the vaccine does not protect against one-third of the strains of the disease, and does not guarantee immunity against any strains.
Less than 1 in 100,000 people contract the meningococcal meningitis disease annually in the U.S. Half of those who do contract it are infants, and most people who contract it fully recover. The disease is not easily transmitted. and many have already been exposed to it, rendering them immune. Only 5-15 college students nationwide die from this disease each year.
The primary reason why most outbreaks of mennigitis occur among college students is the nearly universal decline in their nutritional status combined with the stress of a new environment and disrupted sleeping habits.
One of the major challenges I faced when I was treating patients was taking care of graduating high school seniors who were going away to college. They are nearly all required to live in a dorm and eat the terrible food they serve, which almost always caused the student's health to decline and go backwards.
I would usually work with them and write letters to either allow them to live out of the dorms or at least be able to prepare their own meals and this typically helped.
Bottom line?
College students do not get meningitis because they did not get a worthless vaccine. They get it because of their lifestyle.
If you are the parent of a college student, or are one yourself, it's important to know the facts about the meningococcal vaccine. The vaccine has not been tested to see if it causes cancer or infertility. Past studies have also found that the meningitis vaccine can cause diabetes.
The fact of the matter is, no matter what you have been led to believe, vaccines really do more harm than good. The rates of many chronic illnesses, such as cancer, have actually increased dramatically since their introduction.
This may sound like medical heresy to you. For many years, I know that was true for me. However, I gradually learned more about the risks of vaccines and began to see hundreds of brain injured children in my practice -- children who had been damaged by vaccines. My views changed quite dramatically.
I urge you to not make the same mistake I did twenty years ago; do not quickly dismiss this issue because it conflicts with what you were taught. For your sake, and for the sake of your children, please examine this issue very carefully before you pass judgment on it.
For more information on vaccines, including how to exercise your right to decline one, check out my vaccine links page.