CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - Coastal Carolina University now requires the meningitis vaccine for many of its students. Although the infection is rare, cases of it have been growing in young people. The new policy is in response to that, and experts are now recommending the vaccine for younger people too.
"This one just hits you so hard and so fast, and within a matter of hours a life could be lost," said Amy Necaise.
Her 19-year-old son died with meningitis, teaching her just how quickly some forms of the disease can kill. That is why she says a vaccine against it can be so important.
Meningitis is rare, but it is much more common in young people, particularly those who live in close quarters like college dorms. Previous cases have been reported at Coastal Carolina, Clemson and the University of South Carolina.
So CCU joins a growing list of colleges that now require the meningitis vaccine. At CCU, any student under 25 living on campus must now get the shot.
"It's a very contagious disease," explained Tonya McKenzie, a nurse practitioner at CCU Student Health Services. "It passes from person to person by direct contact or through droplets like coughing."
Nationwide more cases are being reported in even younger children from high school down to middle and elementary school.
McKenzie said death is not the only concern.
"It can also cause disabilities and deformities," she said. "People can lose a limb. It can affect their heart, their brain, and the spinal cord."
So some states are now requiring the vaccine.
In South Carolina it is just a recommendation for children between the ages of 11 and 18.
"There's no words to describe what it's like to lose a child, but to lose a child to something like this that might have been prevented by a vaccine..." Necaise said.
Meningitis vaccines can cost about $185, so parents may want to check to see if health insurance will cover the cost. The health department may have vaccines also, but there is no cost savings unless a child qualifies for certain programs.
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