CDC Rep. Briefs Princeton Board of Health on University Meningitis Vaccines
Thomas Clark, the chief of the meningitis branch of the Centers for Disease Control, met with the local health board tonight to give officials an overview of the management of the meningitis B outbreak at Princeton University.
As of about 4:30 p.m. today, 2,845 Princeton University students have received their first dose of the meningitis B vaccine, Clark said. The figure represents just under half the target number of 6,000 vaccinations.
Clark said the initial campaign, due to be completed on Thursday, will not end the CDC’s involvement at Princeton University. There will continue to be monitoring of the outbreak from now until booster doses of the vaccine are administered to the students in February.
Adverse reactions to the vaccine include sore arms. A toll free number has been set up for anyone who has a reaction to the vaccine, Clark said. He stressed the importance of people who receive the first vaccine following up and getting the booster shot to fully protect themselves.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.