By Matt Leingang
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ohio Gov. Bob Taft is expected to sign a bill next week that requires public universities to provide information about bacterial meningitis to parents and young adults.

But some campus medical directors question one aspect of the bill, which requires incoming students who apply for campus housing to disclose whether they've been protected against meningitis and hepatitis B.

Keeping track of the immunization status of thousands of students could be a lot of extra work for a disease such as meningitis, which is rare to begin with, they say.

"Somehow, the university will have to figure out how to do this and how we're going to pay for it," said Dr. John Andrews, medical director at the University of Cincinnati, which has 3,000 to 4,000 students living on campus.

Meningitis causes swelling in the brain and spinal cord and strikes about 3,000 people a year nationwide. Hepatitis B is an inflammation of the liver.

Ohio's bill, which would go into effect in July 2005, leaves a lot open.

For example, it doesn't require students to provide proof of vaccination. Students could simply check "yes" or "no" on an application or on a secure Web site, said the bill's sponsor, state Rep. John Hagan, a Republican from Alliance.

Commuter students aren't subject to the inquiry, either.

"We left it to the schools to do what they think is appropriate," said Hagan, adding that no student would be denied housing if he or she had not been immunized.

Meningitis rocked Hagan's community in 2001, when two teenagers died.

"If you have an outbreak on campus, having records available on who is vaccinated and who isn't could make a life-or-death difference for students," Hagan said.

Symptoms of bacterial meningitis may include fever, confusion and nausea. It is contagious, but none of the bacteria that cause meningitis are as contagious as the common cold or the flu.

Because bacteria are commonly spread by contact with nose and throat secretions - through kissing or sharing a glass or cigarette - some campus health educators believe that those living in more crowded environments, such as campus dormitories, are at higher risk.

The American College Health Association estimates that 100 to 125 cases of bacterial meningitis occur annually on college campuses, and five to 15 students die.

Fourteen states mandate that incoming freshmen be vaccinated, according to the National Meningitis Association. The vaccine can cost as much as $90 per dose, and many insurance plans don't cover it.

Dr. Gregory Garnett, medical director for student health services at Miami University, said Ohio's new legislation isn't likely to have much of an impact. Most colleges, including those in Kentucky, already notify parents and students about meningitis.

While the threat of meningitis is real, he said, it should not be blown out of proportion.

"My issue is context," Garnett said. "Drug and alcohol abuse, along with sexually transmitted diseases, touch far more student lives."

E-mail mleingang@enquirer.com