Meningitis C vaccination booster for those about to start uni

[BeckAndCall]

So, i seemed to have missed the memo.

Apparently, for the first time, this years new intake to uni (ie current 18 year olds) are recommended to have a Men C booster which you can get from your GP and should have before they head off.

This is because those born after Sept 1995 will have had the first round as a baby or toddler (my DD had it when she was 4, i checked) and the effectiveness wears off. if they are older and had it as a school age child (which my elder two did -8 and 10 ) it will still be effective (and they are past the second wave age of likely getting the disease)

So i thought I'd mention it in case anyone else, like me, didnt know..... put it on your departing DC's list of things to do!

Thanks.

Universities are supposed to be putting it in the welcome pack.

Yes DD got advised to do this by the Uni when they sent out registration details. All done now.

The nurse phoned us as DDis only 16 so she isn't on the list at the surgery.But because she is going away they wanted her done

Children are having the Men C booster now in secondary school, DS2 had it earlier this year (Year 10) - DS1 had the diptheria, tetanus and polio also in Year 10, but didn't have a Men C booster, I'm guessing it wasn't available then (2010).

The schedule changed last year to knock off one men c at four months (still have it at three months and one year) and give it with the school leavers tetanus. Research shows young children are v well protected with all these men c jabs but that it wanes in later childhood, so boosted at 14 ish now. If your DS1 goes to uni, he will be entitled to it too. If he was born before 1999, he won't have had it at all.

ds1 born Jan 1994 so I asked at the surgery only to be told that they would do it if his university asked for it but weren't calling anyone specific forward

Have looked in his red medical book and can't see Men C at all and he's had everything that was ever on offer. Both his younger db seem to have had it but not him!

Same story here. What with her working too, it was all just too late. However, the surgery did give her a print off of all of her immunisations - Men C was in 2000, so pre-school, and she took the list with her medical application form yesterday and I understand she has spoken to that doctor about getting covered for it. He was impressed she was so organised!

Pity the Uni never advised us - given some time it could have all been sorted here.

Well thanks to you guys my ds has had his booster.

We have never seen a NHS Leaflet about starting Uni or have not had anything from the uni itself.

When I read about it on here, it took 3 calls to our gp's before they could confirm that yes it is recommended now.

Surely it would have been better for UCAS or Student Finance to email the leaflet to all the students that they knew about.

Thanks so much for highlighting this - we'd not heard about it either.

Managed to get DS2 (18) in last week for his booster before he starts uni this weekend - and then found out from nurse that DS1 (20) and going back for his 3rd year has never had meningitis c jab, booster or otherwise, so he's had it this morning!

Without OP's post, I'd never have known - thank you!

Damn. I didn't know about this and have probably left it too late now - she's off tomorrow. Presumably she can get it there, though (if she can get sufficiently organised.)

Well I'm glad it wasn't just me who didn't know and I'm glad i posted!