West Virginia Universitys Student Health Service will provide students an opportunity to receive a required meningococcal vaccination during new student orientation sessions throughout the month of June. The vaccination is a new requirement by the University and is being offered during the orientation sessions as a convenient option for students who need to obtain it.

All students entering WVU for the first time in the fall will be required to have been vaccinated for the meningococcal meningitis to prevent the most common types of bacterial meningitis. Additionally, students will be required to have two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. In the past, WVU required only a single dose of the MMR vaccine.

It is important to make sure that our students have a safe and healthy learning environment,said Karen Clark, director of medical services at Student Health Services.Requiring the meningitis vaccine will help us protect WVU students from this serious and potentially life-threatening illness.

WVU students who need to meet the requirement have other options for obtaining a meningitis vaccine including primary care physicians, county health departments or other local health care clinics. Student Health Service officials urge students who do not receive the vaccine during the new student orientation sessions to make arrangements for the vaccine prior to the start of the semester.

Health officials also strongly recommend that students be vaccinated against: polio, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis A and B, chicken pox (varicella vaccine), influenza, and HPV (human papilloma virus�€females only). For some students, the Pneumovax (pneumonia vaccine) is also recommended, as well as testing for tuberculosis.

Meningitis is a brain infection that can be caused by several different types of bacteria or viruses. It is spread through respiratory droplets resulting from prolonged contact or sharing of items, such as drinking glasses, with an infected person. Symptoms resemble other illnesses like flu, including high fever, severe headache, rash, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. Meningitis can permanently injure those who become infected and it can become fatal if not treated early.

Vaccinations will be available without appointment for $125 and will be offered in the WVU s Mountainlair Gluck Theatre from: 2:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m. June 4-8, 13-15, 20-22, and 27-28; and 10 a.m.-noon June 11-12, 18-19 and 25-26. Students will receive paperwork they can provide to Admissions and Records as proof of the vaccination.

For more information about meningitis and the vaccine offered by the Student Health Service call 293-2311 or visitwww.hsc.wvu.edu/shs.