Centers for Disease Control Considers Meningococcal Vaccine for UCSB
Students May Have Access to the Unlicensed Bexsero Vaccine During Winter Quarter
In response to the meningococcal disease outbreak that hit UCSB last month, students may soon have access to an unlicensed vaccine called Bexsero when they return to school for the winter quarter. Four UCSB students were diagnosed with the disease — a bacterial infection that can lead to meningitis — in November, causing the university and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to go on high alert.
One of the ill students, Aaron Loy, had his feet amputated in late November to prevent spread of the bacteria to the rest of his body. Three of the students have recovered and are expected to return to class in January, according to UCSB spokesperson George Foulsham. These four cases were caused by a strain of the meningococcal bacteria known as serogroup B. But the meningococcal vaccine currently licensed in the United States and typically given to young adults does not protect against serogroup B, so UCSB students who were vaccinated against bacterial meningitis could still be vulnerable.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a Q&A on its website that states the process to give UCSB students Bexsero — currently permitted for an at-risk population at Princeton University, which recently experienced its own meningitis outbreak — is underway and that officials are “working under the assumption that the vaccine will be needed at UCSB.” The Bexsero vaccine is currently licensed and used throughout Europe, Australia, and Canada.
