Princeton begins meningitis vaccinations under shadow of UCSB amputation

Source: JoNel Aleccia NBC News

12 hours ago

More than 1,200 Princeton University students lined up for shots Monday as the New Jersey school started offering first doses of an emergency vaccine aimed at halting an outbreak of potentially deadly meningitis that has sickened eight since March, campus officials said.

They're among an estimated 6,000 students and others expected this week to get injections of an imported drug approved in Europe, Australia and Canada, but not in the U.S. It protects against the B strain of meningitis — the bug behind the illnesses — which isn’t covered by the vaccines that most college students already receive.

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Her comments come amid an unrelated outbreak of meningitis B across the country, at the University of Californa, Santa Barbara, where at least four students have been infected in the past month, including an 18-year-old freshman lacrosse player whose feet had to be amputated after complications from the illness, according to family reports.

Aaron Loy is recovering slowly and has received a flood of support from friends and the community, family members said on the website Caring Bridge.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/princeton-begins-meningitis-vaccinations-under-shadow-ucsb-amputation-2D11702862