Eckerd freshman preaches cause of meningitis vaccine
By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET
Published August 19, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Five years ago, Nick Springer was in a drug-induced coma, battling bacterial meningitis and fighting for his life.
Doctors amputated his hands and his legs below the knees. He lost hearing in his left ear. He wasn't expected to survive.
This week, the 19-year-old from Croton, N.Y., began his first year at Eckerd College.
About 500 members of the class of 2008 are settling into college life at Eckerd. With rooms to decorate and classmates to meet, the risk of a rare disease is the last thing on their minds.
Springer said he hopes to change that.
"Everyone I've been seeing today, I've been mentioning that they should go get the meningitis shot," he said Wednesday. Meningitis, an infection of spinal cord fluid and the fluid that surrounds the brain, is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection.
Viral meningitis is generally less severe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But bacterial meningitis can cause brain damage. It strikes about 3,000 Americans annually.
Experts say typical conditions of college life - including cramped quarters and shared drinks - can facilitate the disease's spread.
Dr. Rani Gereige, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of South Florida, said the vaccine is a "good idea" for college students.
"There was an outbreak reported one time with football players sharing water bottles," he said.
The meningoccocal meningitis vaccine is not required for students at Eckerd, but a number of them lined up to get it at a vaccine clinic provided by the college Wednesday afternoon.
A Florida law requires colleges and universities to educate students about the disease and the vaccine. Incoming Eckerd students received a mailing about the vaccine clinic over the summer, said Joe Carella, director of counseling and health services.
Springer was at summer camp in Massachusetts, a few weeks away from his freshman year of high school, when he caught the disease in 1999.
Thalia Lipsky, a 19-year-old freshman from London, England, went to the clinic Wednesday after meeting Springer in class. He explained his condition to her and other classmates, urging them to get the vaccine.
"That really was a big thing for a lot of us," she said. "We were very moved by that."
Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.
