AUSTIN -- An important deadline is looming and it affects every college student in Texas.
A new state law went into effect this week. It requires nearly all Texas college students to get a vaccine guarding against meningitis before going to class. This semester is the first time students will have to prove they got the vaccine.
The meningococcal vaccine is now available at clinics statewide. According to the state health office, hundreds of thousands of students in Texas will need the vaccine.
Lawmakers passed the requirement last summer. The Jamie Schanbaum and Nicolis Williams Act is named in memory and in honor of two Texas college students who contracted the disease.
Schanbaum, now 22, was a University of Texas student in 2008 when she contracted the disease. Doctors were forced to amputate all of her fingers and both legs below the knees.
Williams was a 20-year-old student at Texas A&M when he contracted the disease last February. Williams died.
Doctors say college students are especially at risk.
“The greatest risk is death. Brain damage is another risk. There's a 10 to 14 percent mortality rate for this infection. It is dangerous. Those in closer quarters can get it, so dorms or even being in the same classrooms as others can cause an infection,” said D.O. of the Texas MedClinic Chris Larson.
Health insurance typically covers the cost of immunization. Those without coverage will have to pay out of pocket. It can cost up to $150.
Local health clinics, non-profits and other entities sometimes offer the shots for as little as $10.
According to state law, all newly enrolling college students under 30 will have to get the vaccine, unless they are enrolled only in online classes.
Since students have to get the vaccine 10 days from the start of the semester, Friday is the deadline for many state-wide.
