College is one of the best times in your life. You get to live, eat, shower, and party with thousands of students your own age. You don’t feel alone or left out because you’re always in contact with others. Unfortunately, this constant connection has its downsides. Being in close quarters with so many people makes college students easily susceptible to disease. The most common disease outbreaks on college campuses are Meningococcal disease (commonly called Meningitis) and Hepatitis B virus, both of which can be deadly. Because of the recent outbreak of Meningitis on two well-known college campuses, Princeton University and the University of California, Santa Barbara, I feel that it is important to stress the need to get vaccinated.
According to vaccines.gov, a vaccine is a product that produces immunity from a disease. A vaccination is the injection of a killed organism that produces immunity in the body against that organism. Your immune system uses this dead virus to build up a ‘shield’ of protection against the disease, making you less likely to contract it during contact with an infected person. But what exactly are Meningitis and Hepatitis B, and what are their symptoms? No fear! I’ve got you covered. Read on below to figure out.
Meningitis is the inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord. The disease originates from infection, and is passed through contact. Meningitis is very contagious and its symptoms are present immediately, commonly mistaken for the flu. An infected person may experience fever, chills, vomiting, exhaustion, and headache, and eventually seizures. To test for Meningitis, sample of fluid is removed from the spine and examined for organisms that cause the disease. The Meningitis disease is very painful, and if left untreated it can be deadly or cause permanent side effects.
Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver, and is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids (such as semen and vaginal secretions). Unlike Meningitis, symptoms of Hepatitis B can take as long as 6 months to show after the initial infection. Hepatitis B is 100 times more infectious than AIDS, and can result in liver failure, liver cancer, and even death. Symptoms include yellowing of the skin and of the whites of the eyes, fatigue, abdominal pain, and flu-like symptoms. This disease infects about 43,000 Americans each year, and while the majority of the infected recover completely, a small portion of the infected go on to develop chronic hepatitis B, which is an ongoing infection of the liver. Thankfully, the Hepatitis B vaccine is one of the “safest vaccines ever made” so there is little risk to getting vaccinated.
Vaccinations for both of these diseases can be obtained at your campus or local hospital. Vaccines are quick, easy, and relatively painless in comparison to contracting the actual disease, and are a good investment in your future health. These two injections can potentially save your life. What are you waiting for? Invest in your future and get vaccinated today! Your body will thank you.