The Iowa legislature earlier this year passed new regulations for immunization requirements for those students who are going into 7th and 12th grades this school year.

Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber says the new requirement is for 7th and 12th graders to get a one-time dose of the meningococcal vaccine. He says the Centers for Disease Control reports that 2,600 people per year contract meningitis and the largest group of people are teenagers going to college.

Arber says there are two types of meningitis, which is an inflammation of the covering of the brain, and includes: viral and bacterial. Viral meningitis can cause skin rash, fever, headaches and a stiff neck. Arber is more concerned with the bacterial version, because the same symptoms are brought on quicker, can be life-threatening, and is spread through human contact.

“When you have your 14-year-olds or your 18-year-olds and they’re all in an area together and they’re all touching and with teenagers, you’re probably going to have some relationships going on there where you’ve got kissing and they’re just in close quarters, this disease can spread quickly.”

Once someone contracts the disease, 10 to 15-percent of that age group can end up dying, sometimes within 24-hours.

If someone going into 7th and 12th grade hasn’t received a meningococcal vaccine, call or stop by the Guthrie County Public Health building in Guthrie Center.