Santa Cruz County warns against meningitis B

Santa Cruz County is making a concerted effort to try and raise awareness about a rarely seen disease.

County health officials say college freshmen living in dorms are the most susceptible to meningitis B, a bacterial infection that took the life of 18-year-old Joseph Tyler Clouse in February.

Clouse had recently graduated from Harbor High School in Santa Cruz and aspired to be a firefighter.

“Even with rapid and appropriate treatment, all kinds of meningitis can quickly progress to become fatal for an otherwise healthy person,” said Mimi Hall, the Santa Cruz County health director.

Meningitis B can spread through sneezing, sharing food and even sharing lip balm. The county says prevention is critical.

The good news is the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says meningitis B is very rare and there is a vaccine. But not many people know about it.

“So it’s likely that many of us, including our children, are not vaccinated,” said Hall.

Hall says vaccines are one of public health’s greatest achievements, but with recent declining immunization rates, there has been a comeback in vaccine-preventable diseases.

State law does not require students get the meningitis B vaccine, but Santa Cruz County is encouraging teens and college-aged freshmen to get immunized.

“It’s kind of a no brainer, right? You want your kid to live, you don’t want your kid to get all these diseases,” said Max Shinnerl, a senior at UCSC. “Vaccination has helped bring these diseases close to extinction.”

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors declared Wednesday as Meningitis B Vaccine Awareness Day to help get the word out to families.