Meningitis vaccine

Hi I'm going to be a college freshman and the school suggests that I get a meningitis vaccine. now I've heard all sorts of things about vaccines so I was apprehensive at first.

I've researched the sickness a bit and it seems that it's pretty deadly and hard to detect. but I also noticed that it seems to be very rare.

now I'm conflicted between vaccinating or not vaccinating. I'd prefer not to vaccinate because it takes up time and money and quite frankly I'm going to a pretty small college with pretty spacious dormitories (so I'm not so sure the same concept of being at risk because freshmen are packed so close applies here). another thing I can't help but wonder about is that the ways of contracting it are so easy (sharing drinks, secondhand smoke, kissing, etc) then I'm wondering why meningitis isn't more prominent. you'd think that once it got a foothold somewhere it would spread through the community because it can be airborne and then run its course there.

so I'm worried that if I don't get it I'll have to practically live in a bubble of fear and always go in to the doctor to get tested if I get sick. I don't want to have to do that. but then when I looked at the graph showing meningitis incidence by age, I noticed something. the infants were at high risk, and the "valley" is for teens. each group was separated by 3 years. now, when the "valley" starts to peak once again, it is at the next age category, which is 18-24. that's 6 years, double the amount of years for each group in the "valley". so I looked at it and imagine that if I had cut that in half, it would actually be less than the 14-17 group. is this manipulation of the statistics or exaggeration of the risk, or is there some other reason to change the age grouping? here's the image, for reference:

www.cdc.gov...

also I looked at the incidence per 100,000 and it seems to me that the percentage for my age group would be 1 per 100,000, which is 0.00001%. that seems like an extremely low number, so why all the hype around the vaccine and the dangers involved?

but I really wish I could find some independent studies about the whole subject. my research only popped up on websites that were run by the people selling the vaccine so I can't trust them. any links or opinions/thoughts would really be appreciated.

[edit on 8/25/2008 by FinalSonicX]

[edit on 8/25/2008 by FinalSonicX]

[edit on 8/25/2008 by FinalSonicX]

As always Im Pro Vaccination. I have first hand seen the effects of these preventable illnesses and they can be horrifing.

As you noted the inital symptoms are really hard to detect and once well along the consequences can be pretty bad. The incidence is low, but some of that is due to the fact that people are vaccinated these days.

yes, the consequences of being infected can be quite severe. and that's why I'm still on the fence. my mother contracted meningitis a long time ago when I was younger but I was fine. so perhaps my body already has a boosted number of antibodies for meningitis. I'm not sure how long that would last however, as the vaccine only lasts for a couple years if I'm not mistaken. but right now I'm trying to assemble all the facts I can about the vaccine and the illness so I can figure out what to do from there.

I called the health services department of my school, and the woman who responded to my phone call told me that she had never seen an instance of meningitis at the school in her 16 years of work. this put me at ease, because these "suggestions" are statewide, which would include the much larger, diverse state schools.

and does anyone have any information on the ingredients in these vaccines? I'm having some trouble finding reputable sources. I found one link that said that the process involves therimosol (spelling?) as well as lactose. isn't therimosol a mercury substitute used to preserve the vaccines over a long amount of time? and I'm allergic to milk, so what would this do to me?

thanks in advance.

I got the shot before I went to college and really I'm glad I had it, although the disease is pretty rare, but what you have to consider is do you really want to test the odds? As for your allergy to milk, I'd bet the doctors have it down on you're record and are aware of it, but if you decide to go get it make sure you tell them your allergy. The illness I'd be more worried about in college is Mono which unfortunately I don't think there's a vaccination for...

Hello all..I would like to add here that I would recommend that you take the vaccine if offered. I dont know any more than you about the technical side if it, and understand that you have issues about allergies and so on, but I contracted meningitis at the age of 11, and the pain was indescribable, like nothing else I've ever experienced, and I was in and out of consciousness for days....it's a terrible infection, and thankfully, I had no after effects. I was lucky. (This is just my opinion though.) I hope you get all the information you need to make your choice.

lots of love

Cait

from my 30 seconds of research on Mono, it doesn't seem particularly dangerous. according to my sources, 95% of adults 35-40 have increased antibodies against it which means they've been infected or exposed at some point. and they turned out ok.

in fact, one of my high school teachers got mono and she's perfectly healthy. I don't think I need to worry much about it.

reply to post by caitlinfae


I'm glad to see that you're alive and well. if it's not too much to ask, could you tell me about the circumstances surrounding your infection?

your diet, lifestyle, contact with carriers, etc.

what kind of symptoms did you experience, how did you discover that it was meningitis, what kind of treatment did you receive?

Originally posted by FinalSonicX
reply to post by caitlinfae

 

I'm glad to see that you're alive and well. if it's not too much to ask, could you tell me about the circumstances surrounding your infection?

your diet, lifestyle, contact with carriers, etc.

what kind of symptoms did you experience, how did you discover that it was meningitis, what kind of treatment did you receive?

Hi again...

This is a bit of a struggle...it was over 30 years ago, but here goes! I will see what I can help with. Nothing unusual about diet or lifestyle...I contracted it during the summer break from school and don't remember having travelled anywhere beforehand. I had a fairly ordinary, if a little isolated, middle class upbringing, I suppose...nothing exotic or unusual at all.

I would have to check with my Mum about treatment, but the symptoms were frightening. By far the worst were the headaches....which no medication would even lessen a little...intense, pulsing, excruciating pain across the front of my head and my eyes. I was also extremely dizzy, unable to stand, and even drinking water would make me violently sick. I can also remember sleeping a lot to avoid the pain, and lots of not being conscious at all, with a very high temperature...103 I believe. I didn't have a rash, one of the classic symptoms. I was admitted to hospital and treated with antibiotics, after a spinal tap and other tests, but that's as much as I know. It started quite suddenly from what I remember, and I was ill for about 7 or 8 days in total....half of that in hospital.

I hope this helps....avoid this if you can, would be my recommendation!

It's quite strange that we are talking about this...I did think of it today because...of all weird things!...I painted my toenails blue this afternoon. I have a very vivid memory of lying in hospital at the time and being examined by a doctor who was teasing me about the fact that I had painted my toenails blue then too....I clearly haven't grown out of that....

Cait

As I am wont, I post the ingredient list for people who think vaccination is something they might want to do to themselves and their children:

Formaldehyde

Mercury

Antifreeze

Aluminium

2-Phenoxyethanol

Phenol

Methanol

Borax

Glutaraldehyde

MSG

Sulfate and phosphate compounds

Polymyxin B

Polysorbate 20 / 80

Sorbitol

Polyribosylribitol

Beta-Propiolactone

Amphotericin B

Animal organ tissue and blood

Aborted human fetal tissue and human albumin

Large foreign proteins

This is not an exhaustive list. It is, however, a list with disturbing toxic and/or allergenic properties.

This list comes from www.vaccination.inoz.com... which discusses each.

Also, for the mercury-is-gone-from-vaccines folks: www.whale.to... Small wonder autism didn't decline when mercury was "removed" (NOT) from vaccines.

There is also this info: www.youtube.com...

To those who think that vaccinations do anything but damage one's health, remember:

1. Vaccines are created by pharmaceutical companies (making us ill increases profits)

2. Pharmaceutical companies pay doctors to prescribe and/or administer their products (ergo, all MD's have a conflict of interest)

3. The data show that vaccination did nothing to the downward trend in diseases as it was introduced - better hygiene and diet was already reducing diseases

4. Antibodies do not mean anything relative to disease immunity - good diet is foremost in importance

5. Vaccines are now made in China, with no oversight and lax import laws

6. Vaccines introduce substances into the bloodstream which would never be there naturally

7. Vaccines bypass our natural immunological defenses

8. You risk disease regardless of vaccines, but if you vaccinate, you guarantee toxins/allergens being injected into your system

My conclusion? One is insane if one chooses to vaccinate - especially one's children!

reply to post by FinalSonicX

Just one thing to say, "Get The Shot." I had bacterial meningitis last year and I wouldn't wish what I went through on my worst enemy, period. The pain is nothing like you could ever imagine. Just do it and get it over with, seriously.

After watching the today show about this vaccine, I made sure my son had it. If you are an athelete you really should get the vaccine. The makers of the vaccine are in France, not China. Here's a link to answer some of your questions .

www.menactra.com...
Take Care..

reply to FinalSonicX and post by witchof43


Really? You think these poisons are a better bet, guaranteed as they are to pollute your system, than to risk disease that seems to have a hard time taking hold if one eats well and keeps clean (but not sterile)?

[edit on 8/25/2008 by Amaterasu]

Originally posted by Amaterasu
reply to FinalSonicX and post by witchof43

 

Really? You think these poisons are a better bet, guaranteed as they are to pollute your system, than to risk disease that seems to have a hard time taking hold if one eats well and keeps clean (but not sterile)?

Yes, they are. They've been tested and the levels of toxins are so low that it's harmless. Your cells give off these toxins too, so unless you're a baby (which is where I'm not so sure about vaccines) it's fine. And worth it considering how bad meningitis is and how much your risk of contraction goes up when you go to university.

I know this because I made sure that I researched it before getting it. I considered it before college, and decided to get it. I've been perfectly fine.


...And did you say that diseases "seem to have a hard time taking hold?" God damn, dude. You're no doctor, and don't know anything about disease. Don't pretend like that please.

Originally posted by FinalSonicX
another thing I can't help but wonder about is that the ways of contracting it are so easy (sharing drinks, secondhand smoke, kissing, etc) then I'm wondering why meningitis isn't more prominent. you'd think that once it got a foothold somewhere it would spread through the community because it can be airborne and then run its course there
[edit on 8/25/2008 by FinalSonicX]

I'm a junior in college and have taken a bunch of classes preparing to be a nurse. The thing is, the bacteria that causes meningitis are actually in the back of the throat for nearly all people. So you don't need to worry about catching the bacteria that causes meningitis because you already have it. Haemophilus influenzae type b and Neisseria meningitidis are two of the most common bacteria implicated in meningitis and as I said, they are normal flora in the back of the throat for all people.

The chances are so low of contracting the disease and the vaccines I personally believe do more harm than good, so I passed on the vaccine and have been doing fine as well.

[edit on 25-8-2008 by ghaleon12]

reply to post by ghaleon12


Go breathe in some smallpox and malaria then come back and tell us what a healthy immune system can fend off. Okay? And this "normal flora" is either a different strain or you are wrong. Like how e-coli has different strains (I got to play with a harmless strain and make it glow!). Dangerous neisseria meningitidis can be contracted orally.

[edit on 25-8-2008 by Johnmike]

Originally posted by Johnmike

Originally posted by Amaterasu
reply to FinalSonicX and post by witchof43

 

Really? You think these poisons are a better bet, guaranteed as they are to pollute your system, than to risk disease that seems to have a hard time taking hold if one eats well and keeps clean (but not sterile)?

Yes, they are. They've been tested and the levels of toxins are so low that it's harmless. Your cells give off these toxins too, so unless you're a baby (which is where I'm not so sure about vaccines) it's fine.

Now Johnmike... You know this is not true. Formaldehyde is not carried in the bloodstream. Mercury is not sloughed off. Aluminum is not produced in the organs. Your skin does not emit animal organ cells. And there IS NO EVIDENCE that vaccines do ANYTHING for you.

And worth it considering how bad meningitis is and how much your risk of contraction goes up when you go to university.

Heh. 1 in 100,000. Big risk, that. And given that vaccines show no evidence of doing good - they just rode on the back of the current trend claiming responsibility - and meanwhile some died, some had severe neurological issues, or got the disease vaccinated for... More than 1 in 100,000, I'll wager.

I know this because I made sure that I researched it before getting it. I considered it before college, and decided to get it. I've been perfectly fine.

And I too have researched it. Plenty. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that list and fear for the health of the ones who have it bypassing the natural immune system, with particles foreign to the system, to guess it can't be good for one.

...And did you say that diseases "seem to have a hard time taking hold?" God damn, dude. You're no doctor, and don't know anything about disease. Don't pretend like that please.

Wrong on at least one count.

Are you a pharmaceutical company rep?

Originally posted by Johnmike
reply to post by ghaleon12

 

Go breathe in some smallpox and malaria then come back and tell us what a healthy immune system can fend off. Okay? And this "normal flora" is either a different strain or you are wrong. Like how e-coli has different strains (I got to play with a harmless strain and make it glow!). Dangerous neisseria meningitidis can be contracted orally.

[edit on 25-8-2008 by Johnmike]

Smallpox no one has immunity to except for those old enough to have been given a vaccine, and its also a virus so the immune system is rather ineffective. The dieing cell releases interferon which is really the biggest help. Malaria evades the immune system, so the immune system won't be as effective (duh). And no, it isn't a different strain. Yes, E. Coli has two different strains, one is much more virulent than the other. As someone who has researched health topics extensively both before going to college, and during college, I can only give you my informed opinion.



[edit on 25-8-2008 by ghaleon12]

Originally posted by Johnmike
Dangerous neisseria meningitidis can be contracted orally.

How common is this, then?

Since you seem to have all the answers...

And I already said, everyone already has the bacteria that causes meningitis in the back of their throat. Our whole class of microbiology students (55ish) did throat swabs and inncubated for 24 hours and everyone had these two bacteria I mentioned. The thing I wonder, and haven't researched as I have no personal need to do so, is what sort of health the 1 in 100,000 had. You have no idea if they had a weakened immune system or what other problems might have brought about the illness. I agree with the OP that all information you get is going to be slanted to get vaccinated so its difficult to gauge the need and come to an informed conclusion, its too bad really.

Here's a recent thread that has to do with vaccines that has some good info in it imo.

www.abovetopsecret.com...&addstar=1&on=4863725#pid4863725

[edit on 25-8-2008 by ghaleon12]

reply to post by ghaleon12


first off: thank you so much Caitlin for sharing. I find it very interesting. so the infection occurred around 30 years ago, and you were a normal kid with limited contact to others?

as for the throat infection: fascinating. so you're saying that meningitis can be contracted without necessarily being exposed to others who carry it? if our immune system got so weak we might just "infect" ourselves so to speak?

if this is true, then I'm definitely feeling a lot more at ease about this.my mother has never had good health, and so it isn't a surprise that she contracted it (especially since she worked with blood in a lab). and Caitlin's experience is a bit dated but it suggests that completely "normal" people can contract it. here's a conjecture (random and without previous experience or full knowledge of the circumstances): perhaps her lack of exposure to others allowed her immune system to relax enough for the meningitis to take hold? just a thought.

I really do wish they would release more specific information about those who become infected. I'm aware of the statistics, but how many of those people were overweight, had a poor diet, or drank excessively? how many were in good condition? how many went to state schools, and how many went to private schools? I'd love to see the answers to some of these questions. It's too bad that all of the research I've been doing seems to be pointing back to the companies selling the vaccines. once again, if anyone has any links to information about meningitis or the vaccine, I'd appreciate it.