TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Leon County Health Department leaders are urging college students to get the Meningitis B vaccine after three confirmed cases have been found in the county.
Meningitis is a bacterial infection and could lead to death.
Tanya Tatum, Director of Student Health Services at Florida A&M University says meningitis needs close contact with those infected in order to spread; something that is easy to do in a college environment.
"College students are at particular risk because they're in a congregate living setting a lot of times. Or they're in situations where they're either kissing or sharing drinks or eating utensils, things like that. Doing things that could easily transmit the virus or the bacteria from one person to the other, " Tatum said.
The Leon County Health Department has meningitis vaccines available for college students at their Old Bainbridge Road location in Tallahassee.
The most common symptoms of meningococcal meningitis include fever, headache and a stiff neck.
You might also experience nausea, vomiting, eyes being sensitive to light or altered mental status.
Newborns and babies might be slow or inactive, irritable, vomiting or feeding poorly.
