Bill would require meningitis vaccines
Students would be required to receive two meningitis vaccinations by a bill heard by the Education Committee Jan. 20.
Under LB18, introduced by Omaha Sen. Bob Krist, every student would receive a meningitis vaccine upon entering the seventh grade and again at age 16.
Krist said that adolescents and young adults are at the greatest risk for contracting the disease, accounting for 15 percent of all cases.
“Each year the meningococcal disease affects 1,500 Americans and of those affected, 11 percent will die,” he said. “Keeping up-to-date with vaccines is the best defense against meningitis. The school is the best place to make sure this happens.”
Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour testified in favor of the bill, saying that her local health director colleagues unanimously supported requiring the vaccine.
“Physicians recommend [the meningococcal vaccine] today, but not everyone has a medical home and not all people go to their physician regularly,” Pour said. “This will level the playing field, especially for those living below the poverty line. We want to eliminate health disparities wherever we can.”
Maggi Pivovar, representing Meningitis Angels, supported the bill, saying her battle with meningitis gave her a deeper understanding of the vaccine’s importance.
“I faced a long and painful recovery that took nearly five years and cost nearly $1.5 million,” she said. “I vaccinated my children because I didn’t want them to live through the horrors of meningitis. Even one child [contracting the disease] is one child too many.”
Also supporting the bill was Andy Marso, who contracted meningitis as a college student. He said the bill’s mandate could be an invaluable public health tool.
“[Meningitis] is rare, but it is devastating,” he said. “We have the tools to eradicate it. If we’re not brave enough to do that in the face of fear, then we’ll have done a disservice to everyone.”
No one testified in opposition to the bill and the committee took no immediate action on it.
