Meningitis vaccination deadline draws near

The clock is ticking for new students enrolling at Eastfield to receive the state-mandated meningitis vaccination.

 Students only have a month to left before the Jan. 7 deadline. Those who don't present proof of vaccination by then will not allowed to register for spring semester classes.

"We recommend that you get it early rather than later, because we suspect that there will be a rush for this vaccine right before school starts," said Anna C.  Dragsbaek, president and CEO of The Immunization Partnership, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to eliminate vaccine preventable diseases.

The vaccine requirement only applies to new college students, students returning after sitting out a semester and students transferring to or from another college.

Students who are 30 years of age or older, enrolled in only online or other distant education courses, enrolled in a continuing education program that is less than 360 contact hours or continuing education corporate training, enrolled in a dual credit course taught at a public K-12 facility, or incarcerated in a Texas prison are exempt.

Texas is the first state to issue such a broad vaccination mandate. Previously, the shots were only required for students living on campus.

The biggest concern for most students is the cost. Meningitis vaccinations at local clinics range from $135-150.

The Austin American-Statesman recently reported that local public health departments were being instructed to offer the vaccination for free to uninsured or under-insured students.

However, a representative with the Dallas County Health and Human Service's main clinic said there are no free vaccinations being offered at this time. The current cost at the facility is $150.

DHHS Director Zachary Thompson said in a press conference at El Centro College last Friday that he had requested 50,000 doses from the Texas Department of State Health Services for low-income DCCCD students. However, he said he is still waiting for confirmation on whether the full amount or any amount of that request will be granted. Even if it is, the vaccine will only be available at that price until the end of January.

 "Dallas County Health and Human Services right now has the meningitis vaccine," Thompson said. "The only difficulty is we don't have it at the reduced cost of $10."

North Lake and Brookhaven have scheduled for agencies to come to their campuses and offer the vaccine at a reduced cost.  This is because they have a large population of F1 visa students who don't have transportation to a clinic. Eastfield, on the other hand, only has 11 students who fall into that category.

The new state requirement seems to be creating fear and confusion for many students, and the college's Health Center has been fielding many calls.

 "A lot of students are reading a portion of what's on the web and not the whole alert," Health Service Director Cynthia Taylor said. "They're just frightened they won't be able to register for spring."

Some are also upset about the criteria.

"It's stupid that they would exempt the ones that are already here," counseling major Gabriel Smith said. "You don't know their medical record."

Dragsbaek made it clear at the press conference why the vaccination is only required for new students.

 "We have to start somewhere with the law, and the easier way to start was with new students," she said. "The peak of vulnerability is between [ages] 17 and 22. The law can only apply to new students."

Taylor has created a grid with information on clinics offering the vaccine and their prices.  The grid is now available on the school website (www.efc.dcccd.edu) and in the Health Center. It covers all DCCCD areas, not just Eastfield.

Taylor stressed that the new law was put in place for the protection of all college students living on or off campus.

 "Senate Bill 1107 was signed by our governor so we could save lives, not to incite fear," she said.