Meningococcal meningitis can strike healthy individuals unexpectedly and result in the death of one in 10 infected people, sometimes causing long-term health problems including brain damage and loss of limbs. Although rare, meningitis disproportionately affects college students.
Because meningitis serogroup B (MenB) has caused all meningococcal meningitis outbreaks on U.S. college campuses since 2011, according to the CDC, undergraduate researchers at Quinnipiac University conducted a survey to examine MenB knowledge among their peers, to encourage vaccination. Their findings, presented by Katrina Etts, BS, at ASM Microbe 2024 in Atlanta, indicate a significant lack of awareness about the risk for MenB.