Last week’s discovery that a male Princeton student contracted meningitis has the university’s administration considering the use of a vaccine that lacks FDA approval. The seemingly drastic measure reveals the Princeton community’s fear of a widespread meningitis outbreak but calls into question the possible safety hazards that could arise with a foreign vaccine’s distribution.
Princeton has now seen its seventh meningitis case since March when a female student returned from spring break with symptoms. Five other cases were discovered in the next eight months, prompting university officials to look into containing the illness. All patients recovered from the bacterial infection, which has been known to claim lives within as little as 24 hours, but the university is still on watch for more incidences that may point to an emergency.
While meningitis vaccinations are required in many college institutions and readily available in the U.S., the Princeton meningitis cases are part of the serogroup B strain for which there is no vaccine in the country. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sought special permission from the FDA to import Bexsero, another vaccine, that could be distributed to Princeton students within a few days. Bexsero has been approved for use in Europe and Australia, but the FDA never gave the vaccine a green light in the U.S.
The possibility of importing Bexsero would be big for Novartis, the Swiss company behind Bexsero’s production and distribution. Novartis has struggled in recent months as European countries like Britain have either cut down or halted their Bexsero imports in light of a decrease in meningitis B infections. So far in the U.S., not very many questions have been raised about Bexsero’s safety despite its lack of FDA approval, most likely because the vaccine has been shown to work without too many side effects.
It remains unclear as to whether all Princeton students will be required to obtain a Bexsero vaccination if it is approved. In the meantime, the Princeton University administration is urging students to avoid sharing drinks and engaging in mouth-to-mouth contact until an official plan has been confirmed.