s/o safety of meningitis vax

[SKL]

My state is newly "requiring" a meningitis vax for kids going into 7th grade.

 

I am a selective vaxer.  I am interested in any information specifically about the safety of this meningitis vax.  It isn't one I've heard much about.

 

Also, how is this disease spread?  The reasoning given for introducing this requirement in 7th grade has me wondering.

[G5052]

The type of meningitis strains they're vaccinating for is highly contagious and often fatal. It spreads through sneezing and saliva.

 

A friend of mine died in college from it. She thought it was a bad case of the flu and went to the health center. They took her to the hospital, and she died a few hours later.

 

I look at it like a tetanus shot. Tetanus is devastating and can be fatal, and tetanus is very common in the soil. You can get it from even a small cut if you are pulling weeds.

Edited August 9, 2017 by G5052

[SKL]

I'm asking about the side effects of the vax.

[SKL]

The sources I read say that the meningitis the vax protects against is spread by sharing spit basically.  It is quite rare but yes, dangerous if you catch it.  However there are other ways to prevent it.

[G5052]

For us, just a very sore arm. 

[Selkie]

My three kids have all had the meningitis vaccine with no side effects.

[kewb]

My oldest has had the menegitis and meningitis b with no side effects.

[AK_Mom4]

All my kids have had this vaccine. Like others, the only side effects we have seen have been sore arms - a small lump at the site that took at few days to disappear and was sore to the touch. All of my kids have had it because they were going to be staying in dormitory situations with close contact to others where the bacteria can be spread easily. Spreads through coughing, sneezing (or kissing I suppose), so is more of a risk when kids are grouped to together closely in a dorm or crowded situation.

 

RXLIst shows a few more possible side effects - fever, chills, muscle pain. I suspect like all vaccines, there is a small number of people who would react badly to it.

http://www.rxlist.com/menomune-side-effects-drug-center.htm

[Seasider]

Three here to have it so far with no effects whatsoever. That's with feverish MMR boosters and a very high fever reaction to the early varicella vax.

 

ETA all required by college dorm rules.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Seasider

[Alice]

If it's Menactra that you are talking about, it protects again several strains of Meningococal Meningitis. It is spread through saliva or other respiratory secretions. This can include eating after someone, drinking after someone, kissing, sneezing, chewing on a pen after someone, etc. About 5-15% of healthy adults are carriers of the bacteria. Carrier rates in kids varies depending on the strain of bacteria and the age of the kid but it's about the same or slightly higher. 

It's like other vaccines, a small group of people can have an allergic reaction or other reaction to the vaccine. Mostly we see a slightly sore arm and that's it.