Take two minutes to hear the powerful voices of the Beware of B campaign – a survivor, mother and doctor.

Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection that can cause inflammation of the protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord and can infect the bloodstream. It is spread from person to person through the exchange of saliva.

There are at least 12 types or “serogroups” of meningococcal disease, one of which is serogroup B. Adolescents between the ages of 17 to 23 years of age are especially susceptible to contracting meningitis B because this age group is more likely to be in crowds. Living or spending time in close quarters (like college dorms), sharing drinks and eating utensils, kissing and coughing are just a few ways this deadly and dangerous disease can be spread.

In fact, in the U.S., the B strain accounts for 50 percent of all meningitis cases within that age group, and 100 percent of the outbreaks on college campuses since 2011 are meningitis B.  

There are two vaccinations available to protect against meningococcal disease – the Meningococcal Conjugate vaccine, which protects you from serogroups A, C, W and Y AND the meningitis B vaccine. Both are necessary to be fully immunized against the most common strains of the disease. People commonly think they are protected with conjugate, but that is not the case. A separate vaccine against MenB is also required, which became available in 2014.