Worth faces shortage of meningitis vaccine, will offer new HPV vaccine

September 4, 2006

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.

Worth Health Center director Linda Echols thought she had plenty of the meningitis vaccine Menactra on hand, but when she looked closer earlier this summer she noticed that her supply had expired. When she called to order more, the outlook was not good–“There is a 2-3 month backlog,” Echols noted in an email, “so I’ll get mine sometime in September.”

Worth’s situation was not unique. Menactra, licensed by the FDA last year, provides about eight years more protection than previous vaccines and has been in extremely high demand. “The students we see were unable to get [the Menactra vaccine] at home because of shortages,” commented Echols.

Sample advertisement

Luckily, this shortage will have a relatively small effect on the Swarthmore community. Most students were vaccinated before arriving; of those who weren’t, the majority opted to receive Menomune instead, an older menigitis vaccine. Pennsylvania state law requires college students living in dorms to get a meningitis vaccine, or to sign a waiver saying that they understand the risks.

In other Worth news, the Gardasil vaccine will be offered at cost, for $135. Gardasil is the recently FDA-approved vaccine against the types of HPV that cause cervical cancer.

Worth is also implementing a new program to care for intoxicated students, in order to have “a second set of eyes of the nurses,” said Echols. They plan on having a group of students on call between 1 and 4 A.M. When called, a student would come to Worth and watch over any intoxicated students, alerting nurses if need be. Students interested in participating should contact Linda at lechols1@swarthmore.edu.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Previous Story

Editor’s Note

Next Story

Swat summer news roundup

Latest from Sports

Athlete of the Week: Lauren Lior ’27

Swarthmore women’s soccer forward Lauren Lior ’27 hails from Fairfield, CT, and is a graduate of Greens Farms Academy. During her first year with the Garnet, she had a stellar season, breaking into the starting lineup, and cementing herself as an integral

WSOC Day in the Life: Away Game vs. Muhlenberg College

As we head into the middle of the fall semester, Swarthmore’s sports schedules will become increasingly busy. While exams and paper deadlines approach quickly, varsity athletic teams plunge into the middle of conference play, when the significance of winning is the most

Swinging Through the Glass Ceiling 

The Swarthmore men’s golf team has welcomed numerous women as walk-on players over the years. Currently there are two female players competing on the men’s team: Ava Chon ’26 and Bori Chung ’28. Chon is a senior from Princeton, NJ, who went

Athlete of the Week: Melissa Eyer ’28

Melissa Eyer '28 runs the volleyball court with her elite ball control and defensive capabilities. Read on to hear more about her fourth Centennial Athlete of the Week selection!
Previous Story

Editor’s Note

Next Story

Swat summer news roundup

The Phoenix

Don't Miss