Vaccines urged for college students
| • | Recommended vaccines |
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
As Hawai'i's high school seniors immerse themselves in the throes of college planning, one thing that's probably not on the radar is how to protect their health once they're beyond the watchful gaze of parental eyes — and whether they need new vaccinations.
Graduate student Benjamin Philmus, studying chemistry at the University of Hawai'i, says he doesn't even remember what shots he got before coming to UH.
"It doesn't cross my mind," he said, "because I don't get sick."
But doctors say heading off for college means being on guard for worrisome symptoms, seeing a physician and making sure to have health insurance — either coverage under a parent's family plan, or through the college. Even with coverage through parents, students need to find a "preferred provider" near their campus.
It also means taking time now to make sure shot cards are up to date and scheduling any missing vaccinations. Many vaccines have been given in childhood, but several need boosters before college.
"We have the mistaken idea that these (childhood) diseases have gone away," said pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Judy M. Vincent, "but, really, they're just one plane ride away."
Vincent has a special warning for college freshmen living in dorms because they're at a higher than normal risk of contracting a potentially fatal form of meningitis because of the crowded conditions they face.
Though the meningococcal vaccine is not required by most colleges, Vincent highly recommends it as an important protective measure for freshmen, especially those going off to the Mainland. It protects against the germ that causes both meningococcal meningitis and meningococcemia.
"It's a disease that seems to hit people who are new to a living environment and living in crowded circumstances," said Vincent, a recently retired Army infectious disease specialist.
Dr. Jennifer Frank of the Student Health Center at UH notes that students heading to Mainland colleges are much more at risk because of breathing the same recirculated air in closed-in dorms compared to Hawai'i students in dorms with open windows and fresh air.
Dr. Marian Melish, an infectious disease specialist and also a professor of pediatrics at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, said a meningitis epidemic in England in the past few years took the lives of several American college students
"The disease has a high fatality rate, around 20 percent," Melish said. "There's a proportion of people who can die within 24 hours. You could be perfectly healthy but it can just overwhelm the body's defenses. And it's all preventable with a vaccine."
That's not going to happen to Elizabeth Kam, a 20-year-old junior at UH whose doctor pushed that vaccine and a bunch of others before she went off to Seattle University for her freshman year.
"My doctor recommended it ... I'm pretty shot up," she said, laughing. "My doctor gave me everything ... I got a flu shot, Hepatitis A and B, tetanus, too."
Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.
Although not all colleges require the following vaccines, physicians recommend all of them for college students. Some require several months between shots, so planning should begin soon. • The meningococcal vaccine. Symptoms of infection are similar to the flu — headaches, a stiff neck, fever — and require immediate medical attention. • A diphtheria/tetanus booster. These should be given five years to 10 years after the last one at age 11. Tetanus lives in the dirt and this shot guards against wounds that contact dirt or those from rusty nails or metal. • Two measles/mumps/rubella vaccines. Usually the first is given at 15 months of age and the second between ages 4 and 6, or when a child starts school. Colleges generally require both. • Evidence of immunity to chickenpox, which can be fatal in adults. "You need either a varicella shot or an antibody test to show you've had it," said Dr. Judy M. Vincent, a pediatric infectious disease specialist. Those over 13 who haven't had the disease will need two shots, a month apart. • Hepatitis B immunization. This organism is transmitted sexually and through needle sharing, and can cause both liver cancer and cirrhosis. Three shots are required over four months. • A flu shot. Get this at the college health center after the new annual vaccine comes out in the fall. • Hepatitis A, especially if you're an adventurous student who likes outdoor activities. It's spread through unclean drinking water and food preparation. Two shots are required six months apart. Students should also carry a complete medical history with a list of medications, drug allergies and surgeries, plus a copy of their parents' health insurance number and the name and phone number of the doctor with their records. New privacy laws prevent parents having access to a child's medical records after age 18.
Recommended vaccines
