Feds advise shots to keep college kids from getting meningitis

Federal health officials are warning all college students to get vaccinated against the potentially-deadly disease, which killed an eastern Iowa teen last month.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says college freshmen living in dormitories are four times more likely to contract meningitis than the rest of us. State epidemiologist Dr. Patty Quinlisk says it’s the first time federal officials have recommended the shot for college kids. She says the shot should cost less than 50-dollars and could be a life-saver. While getting the vaccine is a solid deterrent, Quinlisk says it’s -not- a guarantee against catching the potentially-fatal bacterial infection.A Linn County 17-year-old died from meningitis in Cedar Rapids last month. About the same time, three cases were diagnosed in Delaware County, prompting the mass vaccination of 25-hundred children in the Manchester area.