Princeton University Was Allowed To [protect Students From Meningitis B]

2023 Author: Abraham Higgins | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 23:16

Princeton University was allowed to [protect students from meningitis B]

Princeton University, New Jersey, received approval from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on December 9 to begin mass vaccination of students and staff against meningitis B, an outbreak of which has been reported at the school, with the not yet approved Bexsero vaccine in the USA.

Campus of Princeton University. Photo from the site princeton.edu /

Princeton University, New Jersey, received approval from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on December 9 to begin mass vaccination of students and staff against meningitis B, an outbreak of which has been reported at the school, with the not yet approved Bexsero vaccine in the United States, according to USA Today. Previously, vaccination with Bexsero was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Since March, Princeton has reported eight infections with this strain of the bacterium Neisseria meningitides, which is more common in Europe than in the United States. The meningitis vaccine, which university students routinely receive, targets serotypes C and Y and does not protect against serotype B. vaccine in the country.

The Bexsero vaccine produced by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is the world's first vaccine against meningococcal meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitides strain B. In January 2013, the European Commission approved its use in the European Union, the vaccine is also available in Canada and Australia. In the US, Bexsero has yet to go through standard FDA approval procedures.

The mass vaccination began at Princeton University on Monday evening and is on a voluntary basis. The initiative reportedly found support among students and staff who lined up to receive the vaccine. Vaccination will take place in two stages - students will receive the first dose this week, and the next in February.

Despite the measures taken, the CDC predicts that the outbreak will continue due to favorable conditions for the spread of infections in university dormitories, where it is customary among students to drink from the same cup and use shared hygiene items. In September, in order to improve the epidemiological situation on the university campus, Princeton students were given five thousand red mugs with the words "Mine, not yours."