The Meningitis Foundation has started a national campaign urging students to get vaccinated and highlighting the extreme risks of the disease. This push for vaccination comes after a smattering of individual cases have been reported at the University over recent years.
Margaret Perley, the Head of Student Health Services at Otago, described meningitis as “an incredibly dangerous illness which can progress to being life-altering or fatal within hours.” Meningitis is transmitted person-to-person through droplets of saliva. The disease can be spread through the sharing of drinks, necking someone who has it, and vapes – so it’s a good excuse to keep your mates who claim they’re quitting off your hoon. Buy your own fucking vape.
A brief survey of students on campus for thoughts on the disease didn’t yield much. Asked what meningitis is, one student replied, “I know it's a disease, I don’t know what it does to you but I know it’s not good.” To which their friend interrupted with, “Yeah you can lose your fucking limbs and shit.”
Though the particulars of meningitis seem to be lost on students, it sure as bloody hell is affecting us. The 15-24 age group has been identified as being most vulnerable to the disease, with Gerard Rushton, board chairman of the Meningitis Foundation, stating that “approximately 30% of all meningitis cases last year were from people [in this age bracket]”. This was also the sole group that saw incidents rise in 2023, growing from 13 to 18 cases.
Rushton regards this increase as unacceptable, explaining, “This group of young people need protection […] and many aren’t aware that there are funded vaccines available to them.” Perley added, “Many students may have been vaccinated in childhood for meningococcal B, however this vaccination is not considered to still be protective,” making students susceptible to catching the disease.
Vaccines are currently fully funded for New Zealand citizens in close living situations, which includes residential colleges, military barracks, and prisons. Let’s hope it’s the foremost.
The fight to eliminate meningococcal is now focused on expanding the eligibility criteria for vaccines, so that all young Kiwis can have access prior to university. If you aren’t in a hall, vaccines can be purchased for a pretty penny via Student Health, with two vaccinations available — both at around $100.
Saying what we’re all thinking, Rushton pinpointed the cost associated with vaccination to be a “key barrier” in stopping the disease’s spread. He stated, “We believe the low vaccination rates are directly related to the fact that the eligibility criteria for free vaccines are too confusing and too narrow. We know New Zealanders want the vaccine when it is available to them. Why are we withholding it?” Facts