Foremost, the student is required to be up-to-date with immunizations. This article will describe the immunization requirements for college students in Virginia and why they exist. At Bremo Pharmacy we have all of the vaccines you may need. We are also offering a free first aid kit for anyone who gets vaccinated. Stop by and let us review what you need and give your required vaccines!
Immunization
Teens often believe they are finished with vaccinations. Once you are in high school, it is common to assume vaccinations are just for little kids. There are actually millions of people between the ages of 11 and 19 who have not had all of their needed vaccinations. College dormitories, with close quarters and multiple people, are the perfect environments for the spread of diseases. As a result, Virginia law (and each of the 50 States) requires that every college verify immunizations are up to date for each student. All college students must be immunized by vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles (rubeola), German measles (rubella), hepatitis B, and mumps. Two additional vaccines should be considered;meningitis (required, but often not given until college age) and human papillomavirus (recommended, but optional).
Meningitis
Meningococcal meningitis is a rare and sometimes deadly disease. Meningitis spreads quickly. Within hours of the first symptoms, the infected individual can have organ failure, brain damage, or death. Vaccination can prevent most cases of disease on college campuses.
Each year, the disease strikes about 2,500 Americans and 10 to 15 percent of them will die. College students living in dormitories are six times more likely than others to get the disease. Up to 20 percent of survivors have long-term disabilities, such as brain damage, hearing loss, or limb amputations.
The disease is spread through air droplets and direct contact with someone who’s infected. That includes: coughing, kissing, and sharing cigarettes, utensils, cups, or lip balm – anything an infected person touches with his or her mouth.
Immunization can prevent up to 80 percent of meningococcal meningitis cases in adolescents and young adults. The vaccine is safe and effective against four of the five types of the bacteria responsible for meningococcal meningitis in the United States — and for the majority of cases in the college-age population. Protection lasts approximately three to five years, the length of time most students are away at college. As with all vaccines, there may be minor reactions (pain and redness at the injection site or a mild fever).
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
The HPV vaccine is also known as the “cervical cancer vaccine”. It is recommended for prevention of cervical cancer, other less common cancers, and genital warts. In January 2010, the recommendations for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine were expanded to include administration to males age 9 through 18 years to prevent genital warts.
HPV is a common virus that is easily spread by skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity with another person. It is possible to have HPV without knowing it, so it is possible to unknowingly spread HPV to another person. HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer in women. There are about 11,000 new cervical cancer cases each year in the United States. Cervical cancer causes about 4,000 deaths in women each year in the United States. About 1 in 100 sexually active adults in the United States have genital warts at any one time.
People who have already had sexual contact before getting HPV vaccine still benefit if they were not infected before vaccination. The best way to be sure that a person gets the most benefit from HPV vaccination is to complete all doses before sexual activity begins.
For both females and males, 3 doses (shots) are needed. CDC recommends that the second dose be given one to two months after the first, and the third dose be given six months after the first dose. Consequently, college-bound students should begin the series six months before leaving for college.
Getting immunized is a lifelong, life-protecting job. Make sure you and your healthcare provider keep your immunizations up to date. Your Bremo Pharmacy staff is ready to help you get ready with immunizations and a portable first aid kit!
Michelle Herbert Thomas, PharmD, CDE
Clinical Director, Richmond Apothecaries, Inc.
