There's great opposition to mandatory immunizations. The only vaccine available for the bacterial disease in the United States is manufactured by the French company Aventis Pasteur, and protects against four of the five meningitis strains. Zaffirini said she was not sponsoring the legislation on behalf of Aventis. The single-shot vaccine has never been required anywhere in the country because health authorities say it is effective for only three years and does not work in children younger than 2 years old. Some of those testifying before the committee, including Frankie Milley of New Caney, called for statewide immunizations all the same.
Meningococcal bacteria cause meningitis by attacking tissues covering the brain and spinal cord.
The bacteria are spread by mucus or saliva, health officials say. In 10 percent of cases, meningococcal meningitis is fatal. Of those who recover, some are brain-damaged, deafened, blinded or disabled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records about 2,000 cases a year nationwide, with Texas having about 160 a year. Please help kids not get sick.