Vaccines recommended for college students
by the American College Health Association(ACHA):

• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) - 2 doses after the 1st birthday and at least 28 days apart (if born after 1956).
• Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis - Tetanus booster needed every ten years (after childhood primary series). Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) to replace a single dose of Td (Tetanus, diphtheria) for booster immunization against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis if it has been ten years or longer since their last dose of Td. According to current recommendations, Tdap is given only once, so subsequent tetanus boosters will be Td.
• Varicella (Chickenpox) - 2 shot series at least 1 month apart. Students may want to consider this vaccine if they have never had the chickenpox.
• Hepatitis B - 3 shot series over 6 to 12 months.
• Meningococcal - (Conjugate preferred) ACHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all first-year students living in residence halls get immunized against meningococcal disease and other college students under age 25 who wish to reduce their risk for the disease may choose to be vaccinated.
• Influenza - annually to avoid disruption to academic activities.
• Polio - childhood primary series.  Booster for some foreign travel.
• Hepatitis A - Given as a series of 2 doses over 6 to 12 months. Recommended for routine use in all adolescents through the age of 18 and in particular for adolescent and adult high-risk groups (i.e., persons traveling to countries where hepatitis A is moderately or highly endemic, men who have sex with men, users of injectable and noninjectable drugs, persons who have clotting factor disorders, persons working with nonhuman primates, and persons with chronic liver disease).
• Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) - All female college students up to 26 years old who have not received the vaccine (three doses over a 6 month period). No HPV or pap test screening is required prior to receiving vaccine; however, routine cervical cancer screening should continue according to prior recommendations. Available at the River Falls Medical Clinic, but must call in advance to schedule appointment. Not covered by Student Health Services, so you will be responsible for the full cost of the vaccine.

2009/2010 Vaccination Clinics!
Pierce County Public Health Department, in collaboration with UWRF Student Health Services, offers the below vaccinations free or at a reduced cost to UWRF students at regularly scheduled clinics (generally the first Tuesday of each month from 3:00-5:00 p.m.) at the Pierce County Public Health River Falls Office (same location as Pierce County Reproductive Health Services) at 174 Riverwalk (costs subject to change):

Fall 2009 Dates:

• September 1, 2009
• October 6, 2009
• November 3, 2009
• December 1, 2009

Hepatitis B Vaccine $15.00/shot -Three Shot Series

• Given in three doses over 6 months. Hepatitis B is 100 times more contagious than HIV! Hepatitis B is a viral disease that attacks the liver and can cause jaundice, permanent liver damage, and even death.  
• *Free if started before age 19 and completed before age 20*

Tetanus, Diphtheria (Td) and Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) Vaccine - FREE

• Booster needed at least every 10 years.

MMR (measles, mumps, & rubella) Vaccine - FREE

• Two doses after your first birthday are needed (if you were born after 1956).

The following vaccines will also be available at these vaccination clinics:

Meningococcal (Meningitis) (conjugate) Vaccine - $100.00/shot or $8/shot for aged 18 or younger who have Medical Assistance or no health insurance, or who are American Indian or Native Alaskan) - Booster after 8 years

• ACHA and the CDC recommend that all first-year students living in residence halls get immunized against meningococcal disease and other college students under age 25 who wish to reduce their risk for the disease may choose to be vaccinated.

Hepatitis A Vaccine $25.00/dose or $8.00/dose for students 18 years of age or younger - Two shot series

• Hepatitis A is spread person to person and through contaminated food and water. Persons traveling to high risk areas may want to consider receiving this vaccine. You must receive the first dose at least one month before traveling. The second dose is given 6-12 months later.

Vaccines Also Available:

*River Falls Medical Clinic (425-6701) at any time by calling for an appointment. Since the vaccines are not covered or subsidized by Student Health Services (except MMR & Tetanus), check with your health insurance provider regarding coverage; otherwise you will be responsible for the full cost of the vaccine.

Influenza vaccines are also available at the River Falls Medical Clinic for the cost of $35.00 (price subject to change)(not covered by Student Health Services).

*Pierce County Public Health Department (273-6755). Call ahead for information about other clinics & to make arrangements. These vaccines are not covered or subsidized by Student Health Services, so you will pay full price.

Meningococcal Disease and Vaccine:

From the American College Health Association:

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all incoming college freshmen living in dormitories be vaccinated against meningococcal disease.

The American College Health Association (ACHA) issued similar immunization recommendations for all first-year students living in residence halls. The ACIP and ACHA recommendations further state that other college students under 25 years of age may choose to receive meningococcal vaccination to reduce their risk for the disease.

ACHA and ACIP recommendations, coupled with the availability of a new vaccine that may provide longer duration of protection, will help increase rates of immunization against meningococcal disease and will give college health professionals the guidance needed to help protect college students against meningococcal disease.

The conjugated meningococcal vaccine has the potential to provide longer duration of protection than the polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine against four of the five strains (or types) of bacteria that cause meningococcal disease – types A, C, Y, and W-135.

Meningococcal disease is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection that can lead to meningococcal meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, or meningococcal septicemia, an infection of the blood.

Meningococcal disease, caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis, is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in older children and young adults in the United States. It strikes 1,400 to 3,000 Americans each year and is responsible for approximately 150 to 300 deaths.

Adolescents and young adults account for nearly 30 percent of all cases of meningitis in the United States. In addition, approximately 100 to 125 cases of meningococcal disease occur on college campuses each year, and five to 15 students will die as a result. Evidence shows approximately 70 to 80 percent of cases in the college age group are caused by serogroup C, Y, or W-135, which are potentially vaccine-preventable.

Due to lifestyle factors, such as crowded living situations, bar patronage, active or passive smoking, irregular sleep patterns, and sharing of personal items, college students living in residence halls are more likely to acquire meningococcal disease than the general college population.

Meningococcal infection is contagious, and progresses very rapidly. It can easily be misdiagnosed as the flu, and, if not treated early, meningitis can lead to death or permanent disabilities. One in five of those who survive will suffer from long-term side effects, such as brain damage, hearing loss, seizures, or limb amputation.

For more information on meningococcal disease and the recommendations, check out The American College Health Association's web page - click here. For information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) on meningococcal disease and vaccination click here. Meningitis vaccinations are through the Pierce County Public Health Department. Please call ahead at 273-6755 to make arrangements.

Hepatitis B Disease and Vaccine:

Hepatitis B is a serious and contagious viral infection that attacks the liver and may lead to acute disease, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, or liver cancer. It is a major health problem in the United States infecting more than 1 million people.

You can get the infection through contact with blood or body fluids from an infected person. Hepatitis B is a hardy virus that can live for more than a week in dried blood or body fluids on clothes or other surfaces. Common ways of getting the disease include: a) through sexual contact (100 times more contagious than HIV spread sexually); b) through the eyes or mouth by exposure to blood or other body fluids; c) through the skin by way of cuts, scrapes, needle sticks or needle sharing; and, d) through contact between an infected mother and her newborn child during birth and early infancy.

Although there is no specific treatment for acute hepatitis B, there are safe and effective vaccines available to help prevent infection. The vaccination series consists of three shots given over a 6 month period of time. The vaccine is 90% effective for adults and 95% effective for infants, children, and adolescents who complete the three-dose vaccination series.

For more information on Hepatitis B and the vaccine, please check out the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) web page by clicking here or the Hepatitis B Foundation web page by clicking here. Vaccinations are also available through the River Falls Medical Clinic. Call 425-6701 to make an appointment. These services are not covered under Student Health Services.  

Tuberculosis Screening:

Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control recommend tuberculosis screening (skin testing) for persons in certain high risk groups.  Categories of high risk groups include, but are not limited to, the following (so if you fall into one or more of these categories, you should have tuberculosis skin testing done):

• Persons with signs or symptoms of active tuberculosis; Close contacts of persons known or suspected to have tuberculosis; Persons who have spent 2 months or longer in a country (whether born in, lived in or traveled in) where tuberculosis is endemic, such as Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Russia (former Soviet Union); Past or present residents, employees, or volunteers of high risk congregate settings, such as prisons or jails, nursing homes, mental institutions, other long-term residential facilities, and shelters for the homeless; Health care workers who serve high risk clients; Some medically underserved, low-income populations (contact your local public health department); High risk racial or ethnic populations, defined locally as having an increased prevalence of tuberculosis (contact your local public health department); Persons who inject illicit drugs and other groups of high risk substance users such as crack cocaine users; Persons with medical conditions that may impair the immune system (contact your health care provider) Persons with HIV infection.
• Persons with a history of inadequately treated tuberculosis

Tuberculosis skin testing (Mantoux tuberculin skin testing) is covered by Student Health Services for students at the River Falls Medical Clinic.  Students should call the River Falls Medical Clinic at 715-425-6701 to schedule a time for testing (and the test will need to be read at the River Falls Medical Clinic 48-72 hours later).

For more information about tuberculosis and these recommendations/guidelines, check out the Centers for Disease Control tuberculosis website at http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/, check with your health care provider, contact your local public health department (Pierce County Public Health Department 715-273-7655), or call Student Health Services at 715-425-3293.