VAXXTER
By Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, DO, AOBNMM, ABIHM
Two weeks ago, I posted a blog article about the fraudulent letters being sent to parents in Ohio, and actually across the country, about a new meningitis vaccine said to be a requirement for school. If you missed it, you can read it here.
As middle schools are trying to strong arm parents into vaccinating their pre-teens without giving them information on their right to refuse, colleges are becoming equally aggressive about forcing the meningitis jab – and other vaccines – prior to granting access to higher education.
About N. meningitis and the meningitis vaccines
While meningitis sounds frightening and the infection can be serious, here are 18 important, yet little-known, facts about the infection and about the meningitis vaccines you need to know:
- In the 10-year period between 1998-2007, only 2,262 cases of meningitis were reported in the United States. Within a population of more than 300 million, that number is negligible and not worth vaccinating millions for “protection.”
- Of the 2,262 cases, 11.3% cases were fatal. Not to minimize the loss of life, but that also means that nearly 89% of people survived and recovered.
- Meningitis does not spread rapidly. According to the Meningitis Research Foundation, the bacterium can only live for a few moments outside the human body, so it is not spread by casual contact and is not passed along on clothing, bedding, toys or dishes.
- In fact, the Foundation goes on to say the risk of the infection is very low and 97 out of 100 cases occur in isolation, with no other cases.













