Title: Meningococcal Disease

Summary: Recognizing the importance of awareness of meningococcal disease, and all five dangerous strains of the disease, including meningococcal B., etc.

Full Text:
WHEREAS, in people are carriers of these bacteria, and since they do not have any signs or symptoms of disease, may not know that Neisseria meningitides can sometimes cause illness, and WHEREAS, meningococcal disease is spread from person to person via the exchange of bacteria through respiratory and throat secretions during close or lengthy contact, and WHEREAS, nationwide, 1,000 to 1,200 cases of meningococcal disease are diagnosed each year, and WHEREAS, to percent of infected individuals die, and to percent of those who survive suffer from serious morbidity, including the loss of limbs and impacts to the nervous system, and WHEREAS, infants under year of age, as well as young adults between the ages of and 21, are most commonly impacted by this disease, and WHEREAS, there are different strains, or serogroups, of Neisseria meningitides,with serogroups A, B, C, W, and Yaccounting for most meningococcal diseases in the United States, and WHEREAS, there have been several recent outbreaks of serogroup Bmeningococcal disease on college campuses, with some cases resulting in death, and WHEREAS, there are vaccines that help provide protection against all five serogroups commonly seen in the United States, and WHEREAS, vaccination for serogroups A, C, W, and Yis routinely recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and WHEREAS, the CDC s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that decisions to vaccinate adolescents and young adults ages to against serogroup Bmeningococcal disease should be made at the individual level in consultation with their health care providers, and WHEREAS, the recent incidences of meningococcal disease have served as a reminder of the critical role that vaccinations play in helping to prevent this devastating illness and to maintain public health, NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: That the Florida Senate recognizes the importance of awareness of meningococcal disease, and all five dangerous strains of the disease, including meningococcal B.