At UMass, where four students have contracted meningitis over the last few years--two of them fatally--student interest in vaccination seems to be lukewarm.

Lardner said the ACHA and CDC statements forced UMass to substantially change their meningitis vaccination policy. Previously, UMass rarely recommended the vaccine, despite the previous cases at the university.

"[The vaccine] was only recommended to students going to sub-Saharan Africa," Lardner said.

Lardner said UMass was forced to change its policy because it is a state institution and therefore must comply with CDC guidelines.

Lardner said that before the most recent meningitis case on campus, which coincided with the ACHA's recommendation, virtually no one asked for the vaccine.

"[Students] really didn't even know about it," Lardner said.

Even now, just weeks after the latest meningitis scare created a rush for vaccinations, Lardner said the numbers of those asking for vaccinations is almost as low as it was before.

A High Price to Pay?

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