Watch This: The Meningitis Vaccination You Might Not Know About
This post is sponsored by GSK’s public health awareness campaign, “Ask2Bsure”.
Did you know there are two different types of vaccinations needed to help protect against the 5 vaccine-preventable groups of meningitis? If you have a teen or young adult who’s 16-23 years old, do you know if they have received vaccination for meningitis B? If you answered no to either or both questions, this is an important post to read.
Many of us may recall our child getting a meningitis vaccination in the past. I remember it specifically as my son was headed into middle school. To go into a bit more detail on that – our kids probably got (or will get) one type of meningitis vaccination around age 11 or 12, with a booster dose at 16 (to help protect against meningitis groups A, C, W, and Y). However, when they reach 16-23 years old, there is another type of vaccination, specifically for meningitis B that they may miss.
Some doctors may not mention these two different types of vaccinations needed to help protect against the five vaccine-preventable groups of meningitis, and not all parents may not know to ask for them. I did not know this until recently, which is why I am so passionate about this!
Meningitis is uncommon and anyone can get it, but rates of the disease reach a peak in adolescence, with the highest rates in teens and young adults 16 – 23 years old, which is a relevant age for meningitis B vaccination conversations. It can spread through certain common behaviors such as living in close quarters like college dormitories, coughing, sneezing, kissing, and sharing drinks or utensils. I found it very interesting that even though meningitis B vaccination has been available since 2014, recent CDC data show that 7 out of 10 17-year-olds in the U.S. did not receive even one dose of meningitis B vaccination in 2020.
While my children aren’t yet of age for this vaccination, I am so glad to be aware of it. I will certainly be asking our pediatrician about it when the time comes.
Watch this short, educational video then contact your child’s doctor to “Ask2Bsure” about meningitis B vaccination. For each unique view of the video, GSK has pledged to donate $1 (up to $10,000) to the Meningitis B Action Project, a joint initiative of the Kimberly Coffey Foundation and the Emily Stillman Foundation. The Project was started by two mothers who each lost their daughters to meningitis B and are now on a mission to educate parents, young adults and healthcare providers about meningitis B and vaccinations to help prevent it. Views for the donation will be counted through November 26, 2021.
GSK’s “Ask2Bsure” public health awareness campaign seeks to raise awareness of the importance of a dialogue between parents/caregivers and healthcare providers about meningitis B vaccination. For additional education around meningitis B and vaccination, parents and caregivers of teens and young adults should visit Ask2BSure.com
I first became aware of the potential devastating consequences of Bacterial Meningitis years ago when the daughter of a Creative Memories leader passed away while at college from Bacterial Meningitis. I was amazed that during the depths of her pain that this mom also had a goal to spread the word about vaccinations. This summer my husband’s daughter was supposed to be married over Labor Day. Instead two weeks before, her finance developed Bacterial Meningitis. All four kids between them had just started their college fall semester and rushed home as this was a “touch-and-go” situation which changed hour by hour, minute by minute. Bo was finally discharged to The Shepard Center, one of the most amazing hospitals in the world for brain and spinal cord injuries. He is finally home and will continue to have months of outpatient therapy. He is doing amazingly well and can read, walk and talk. He also became deaf due to the damage in his ears and recently had cochlear implants – he now has hearing in one year and we have been praying for a complete recovery. He is working so incredibly hard and we continue to pray for his complete recovery.