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(HealthNewsDigest.com)-Parents of preteens and teens are urged by the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to help protect their children against meningococcal meningitis by getting them vaccinated.
Although rare, meningitis, a form of meningococcal disease, is serious and can take the life of a child in just a single day. Many parents are unaware that health officials recommend that preteens and teens get vaccinated.
The NASN’s educational initiative, Voices of Meningitis, encourages parents to talk to their school nurse or other health-care provider and schedule a vaccination appointment.
Actress Lori Loughlin may be best-known for her roles on the hit TV shows “Full House” and the new “90210,” but her most important role is taking care of her family. “As a mother, keeping my children healthy is my number one priority, so I had them vaccinated against meningitis,” says Lori.
Lori joins the NASN as the national spokesperson for Voices of Meningitis. She wants to educate parents that vaccination is a safe and effective way to help protect preteens and teens against meningitis.
Lori is joined by families across the country that have been personally affected by meningitis to share their compelling personal stories in an effort to raise awareness about prevention.
Bob and Dee Dee Werner lost their daughter Becky, an active college student, to meningitis. Becky didn’t have a fever and showed no outward symptoms of anything other than a virus. Later that night, she got worse and was rushed to the hospital. Becky died just hours later.
“I could not believe what was happening to our family,” says Bob. “Becky started feeling sick on Tuesday and by Wednesday she was gone. It happens that fast.”
Meningitis can be difficult to recognize, especially in its early stages, because symptoms can be similar to those of more common viral illnesses. But unlike more common illnesses, the disease moves quickly and can cause death or disability in just one day.
Nearly 10 percent of the 1,000 to 2,600 Americans who get meningococcal disease each year will die. Death rates are up to five times higher among teenagers and young adults compared with other age groups.
Meningitis doesn’t just affect college students. Anyone can get meningitis and preteens and teens are at increased risk for getting the disease. Common everyday activities can spread meningococcal meningitis. This includes sharing eating utensils and drinking glasses, living in close quarters such as dormitories or summer camps, and kissing.
Tyler Johnson contracted meningitis as a preteen and luckily survived. Doctors had to amputate Tyler’s feet and fingers on his right hand in order to save his life. One out of five survivors is left with serious medical problems, including amputation of arms, legs, fingers and toes, brain damage, deafness, and organ damage.
Tyler and his mother Shara joined Voices of Meningitis to share their story with other families. “Don’t think this can’t happen to you,” says Shara. “I learned that a vaccine is available for children my son’s age after he got sick.”
Every health-care visit is an opportunity to talk to your child’s health-care provider about vaccination. Public health officials recommend vaccination for preteens and teens 11 through 18 years of age and college freshmen living in dormitories.
To learn more about meningococcal meningitis and vaccination, visit the Voices of Meningitis Web site at www.voicesofmeningitis.org.
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