PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Washington State University officials are recommending students on the Pullman campus get meningitis vaccinations or boosters.
Although there are currently no reported cases of meningitis on campus, the recommendation stems from the December hospitalization of a 19-year-old student who was diagnosed with the bacteria.
University officials say he has been released from the hospital and returned home to complete his medical care. In September, a patient on campus with pneumonia had the same bacteria.
Health service director Dr. Bruce Wright says the two cases may not have been related but the bacteria is present on campus. He notes that both students had received the meningitis vaccine three years ago. Wright says all meningitis vaccines lose their effectiveness over time and students vaccinated more than two years ago should get a booster.
