Bill Text: NJ ACR140 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges high schools, colleges, and universities to provide students with information on meningococcal disease.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-08 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee [ACR140 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-ACR140-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 140
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 8, 2018
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman HERB CONAWAY, JR.
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Urges high schools, colleges, and universities to provide students with information on meningococcal disease.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution urging high schools, colleges, and universities to provide students with information on meningococcal disease.
Whereas, Meningococcal disease, or meningitis, is any infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitides, or meningococcus; and
Whereas, Meningococcal disease is contagious. It is spread through the exchange of respiratory secretions from person to person during close contact, such as kissing or coughing; and
Whereas, One in ten people carry Neisseria meningitides in their nose and throat without showing signs or symptoms of the disease. These carriers can unknowingly transmit the bacteria to, and cause illness in, others when in close contact; and
Whereas, Between 1,000 and 1,200 people contract meningococcal disease in the United States every year. Of those infected, between 10 and 15 percent die; and
Whereas, Among those who survive the disease, one in five live with permanent disabilities, including brain damage, loss of kidney function, hearing loss, and limb amputation; and
Whereas, Infants under the age of one and young adults between the ages of 11 and 24 are most commonly impacted by meningococcal disease; and
Whereas, There are different strains or serogroups of Neisseria meningitides, with serogroups B, C, and Y accounting for most of the meningococcal disease cases in the United State; and
Whereas, Vaccines are available to prevent meningococcal disease, and different vaccines provide protections against specific serogroups; and
Whereas, While there are vaccines that provide protection against the serogroups B, C, and Y, only vaccinations for serogroups, A, C, W, and Y are routinely recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and
Whereas, In 2015, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices permissively recommended that adolescents and young adults ages 16 through 23 receive the meningococcal serogroup B vaccine; and
Whereas, One in five teens have not yet received their first dose of the meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and Y vaccines and remain unprotected. Less than one-third of the first dose recipients has received the serogroup B vaccine; and
Whereas, There have been several recent outbreaks of serogroup B meningococcal disease on college campuses, with some cases resulting in death. These outbreaks have served as a reminder of the seriousness of the disease and the role vaccinations can play in prevention; and
Whereas, It is critical that students, parents, educators, and health care providers understand the dangers of meningococcal disease, especially serogroup B meningococcal disease, and are provided with information explaining the risk factors associated with the disease, the different disease serogroups, the symptoms associated with each serogroup, and the treatment options available; and
Whereas, Information about meningococcal disease should also include an explanation of the availability, risks, benefits, and limitations of all meningococcal vaccines recommended by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, including the recommendation that adolescents and young adults ages 16 through 23 receive the meningococcal serogroup B vaccine; now, therefore;
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. Every private and public high school, college, and university in the State of New Jersey is urged to provide information on the dangers of meningococcal disease, especially serogroup B meningococcal disease, the risk factors associated with the disease, the different disease serogroups and the symptoms specific to each serogroup, the treatment options available, and the availability, risks, benefits, and limitations of meningococcal vaccines to all current students attending, and new students enrolling in, the high school, college, or university and their parents, and to recommend that students receive meningococcal vaccines in accordance with the guidelines established by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to every private and public high school, college, and university in the State of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges every private and public high school, college, and university in the State of New Jersey to provide information on the dangers of meningococcal disease, especially serogroup B meningococcal disease, the risk factors associated with the disease, the different disease serogroups, the symptoms specific to each serogroup, the treatment options available, and the availability, risks, benefits, and limitations of meningococcal vaccines to all current students attending, and new students enrolling in, the high school, college, or university and their parents, and to recommend that students receive meningococcal vaccines in accordance with the guidelines established by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
