Ohio State University students now required to have various vaccinations before being admitted

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A mumps outbreak hit the Midwest earlier this year and an Ohio State University student died from meningitis. With diseases spreading, some colleges and universities across the nation require immunization before starting undergraduate classes at their institutions. Ohio State University, however, is not one of those universities. \nOhio University does not require any vaccines before beginning classes but recommends the meningitis vaccine. \nMiami University does require the 2MMR vaccines and a medical history form to be turned in, the Student Health Services said. \nThe University of Cincinnati does not require any vaccines for undergraduates, but students in fields with patient contact have various requirements. It recommends the meningitis vaccine, Tetanus, and because the state of Ohio requires the 2MMR vaccines, the students should already have them. \nThe state of Ohio's legislature does not require any specific vaccines for entry into a college or university. \nOSU is going along with the legislature, Dr. Roger Miller of the Student Health Services at OSU said. \nAccording to the Public Information Office for the Ohio Department of Health, "The Ohio Revised Coded Section 1713.55 states that beginning with the academic year that commences on or after July 1, 2005, an institution of higher education shall not permit a student to reside in on-campus housing unless the student (or parent if the student is younger than 18 years of age) discloses whether the student has been vaccinated against meningococcal disease and hepatitis B by submitting a meningitis and hepatitis B vaccination status statement." \nMiller said the Student Health Services has had campaigns at the Ohio Union to spread information about vaccinations and diseases. \nMiller said one flaw of the legislation is that Hepatitis B was included and it has nothing to with living in the dorms, and the vaccine is already required for children living in Ohio. \n"We do have TB testing requirements for high risk individuals," Miller said. "Nearly all of the health professional schools are required to have TB testing not only upon entry but periodically throughout their training and our international students coming from high risk areas are required to undergo a tuberculosis screening." \nAreas deemed high risk are done so in accordance with information from the World Health Organization, Miller said. \n"The problem that we run into, especially for larger institutions, is the problem of enforcement and what you do with the people who either choose not to be vaccinated, (or who) have deferrals for medical problems, have deferrals for religious (reasons)," Miller said. \nAccording to Student Health Services at Miami University, students may not commence classes if they do not have the required MMR vaccines. \nAnother issue to consider is the cost incurred by the students when paying for the vaccinations. \nMiller said the OSU Student Health Insurance does cover a percentage of these costs within a limit. \n"The meningococcal vaccine is beneficial ... (but) It does not provide protection against one of the strains that is more common in the U.S.," Miller said. "There are four strains covered in the vaccine ..." but the fifth strain "causes probably about a third to maybe 40 percent of meningitis." \nAddressing the death of the OSU student, Miller said, "I don't know which strain specifically (caused it) but I was told that it was a vaccine preventable strain. \n"There are a number of vaccines and other preventive steps that students really do need to be informed about and make sure that they get," Miller said.