Meningitis vaccine requirement debated
Senators debated a bill on select file Jan. 19 that would require Nebraska teens to be vaccinated against meningitis before enrolling in school.
LB18, introduced by Omaha Sen. Bob Krist last session, would add the meningococcal vaccines recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the required immunizations for students enrolled in Nebraska schools.
Two doses would be required under the proposed bill—one when a student enters seventh grade and another before he or she enters the academic year after turning 16. This aligns with the CDC’s current recommendations, Krist said.
According to the CDC, meningitis is a relatively uncommon but serious disease caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It usually is caused by viral or bacterial infections spread by saliva or mucus and can lead to loss of hearing and extremities, learning disabilities and brain damage. Meningitis can be fatal in a short time, but it is often misdiagnosed because it has symptoms similar to the flu. Teens and young adults are at increased risk of contracting the disease.
Krist said that approximately 1,500 Americans contract meningitis every year. Ten to 15 percent of those cases are fatal, he said, and about 20 percent of those who survive the disease are left with permanent disabilities.
“Keeping our teens up to date with vaccinations is the best defense against meningococcal disease known today,” Krist said. “The experts that have talked to me and asked me to bring this forward are convinced that this is the right thing to do.”
Sen. John Kuehn of Heartwell spoke in support of LB18. He said increasing the number of people vaccinated against meningitis would make it less likely that the disease could be communicated to children younger than 2, another group that is at increased risk of contracting the disease.
“By reducing the incidence of disease and the potential communicability among the 12- to 20-year-old population, we are protecting those families with young children under 2 who don’t have the option or choice for vaccination,” Kuehn said.
Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte opposed the bill. He said meningitis does not pose a large enough risk to Nebraska’s young people to justify a mandate that would limit individual freedom.
Current law allows a student to opt out of a vaccination if he or she provides a physician’s statement that the vaccine would harm the student or if the student submits an affidavit stating the immunization conflicts with his or her religious beliefs. An amendment filed by Groene would have included philosophical beliefs in that exemption.
Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango also opposed the bill. He said he does not question the meningitis vaccination’s potential benefit, but he believes the state should not make the vaccination mandatory.
“Every time we mandate something, we’re taking power away from the individual,” he said. “And to me, the parent’s responsibility to make those decisions for their children is paramount.”
The Legislature adjourned for the day without voting on the amendment.
