Students from SDSU may have received ineffective meningitis vaccines

SAN DIEGO, CA – University of San Diego students recently vaccinated against meningitis may need to receive the vaccine again, the school and Walgreens announced Friday.

Walgreens, according to the Daily Aztec, administered improperly stored vaccines to about 350 students in two vaccination centers earlier this month. The company confirmed to City News Service that it was trying to locate students likely to have been affected.

"We recently learned that the temperature of the vaccine at the time of administration was not optimal," said a spokeswoman for Walgreens. "Although we felt that there was no associated risk for safety, in order to ensure that recipients receive all the effectiveness of the vaccine, we are in the process of contacting the students for to offer them to revaccinate. "

SDSU offered both vaccination clinics on October 5 and 8, after county health officials declared an outbreak of bacterial disease. Two undergraduate students were hospitalized in September for meningococcal symptoms.

Walgreens and Kaiser Permanente have helped university student health departments administer vaccines due to a shortage of supplies in the county.

"Students who have been vaccinated (against meningococcus) in the various on-campus clinics by San Diego County and Kaiser Permanente have not been affected and do not need to be revaccinated ", according to the SDSU. "SDSU is working with Walgreens and the San Diego County Health and Social Services Agency to ensure that all SDSU students who have been vaccinated by Walgreens on October 5 and 8 are vaccinated again."

Residents and students looking for additional information from Walgreens can call 800-WALGREENS or 925-4733. Residents may also call the Epidemiology Unit of the San Diego County Public Health Services for more information on meningitis at 619-682-8499.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock