Hepatitis A Vaccination Recommended

Is your student up-to-date with vaccinations?  Students recently received an email with the following information, so you may want to consider these three recommended vaccinations now. 

Hepatitis A: Southeast Michigan is experiencing an outbreak of hepatitis A. As of January 31, 2018, 727 cases have been identified, 590 people were hospitalized (81% of cases), and 24 people have died. Vaccination is strongly recommended for U-M students at this time because students tend to live and study in close proximity. Vaccination usually consists of two doses, but the vaccine is in short supply, so the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that individuals should receive just one dose and that a second dose can be received when the vaccine supply is more plentiful. For details, see Hepatitis.

Meningitis:  Vaccination can help prevent this serious and potentially fatal illness. The standard meningitis vaccine does not protect against meningitis B, which causes about one-third of meningitis cases. Fortunately, a relatively new vaccine protects against meningitis B. For details, see Meningitis.

Flu: Flu and flu-related hospitalization are at high levels locally and nationally. There’s still time to get a flu vaccination because the vaccine is plentiful, and flu is typically present in Michigan through March. For details, see Flu and Vaccination.

Unsure whether your student has received these vaccines? Please check their vaccination record, or they can ask their healthcare provider. In the US, hepatitis A became a routine childhood vaccination in 2006, so your student may have already received the vaccination. 

How to get vaccinated: Because of the outbreak, hepatitis A vaccine is especially important at this time, so students are encouraged to arrange it at their soonest convenience. Costs are the patient’s responsibility, so they/you may want to ask about costs and check with insurance about coverage. Students can get vaccinated at:

 

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