Florida Senate - 2018 (NP) SR 1164 By Senator Book 32-01548-18 20181164__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution recognizing the importance of awareness 3 of meningococcal disease, and all five dangerous 4 strains of the disease, including meningococcal B. 5 6 WHEREAS, meningococcal disease is an infection caused by 7 the bacterium Neisseria meningitides, or meningococcus, and 8 WHEREAS, 1 in 10 people are carriers of these bacteria, and 9 since they do not have any signs or symptoms of disease, may not 10 know that Neisseria meningitides can sometimes cause illness, 11 and 12 WHEREAS, meningococcal disease is spread from person to 13 person via the exchange of bacteria through respiratory and 14 throat secretions during close or lengthy contact, and 15 WHEREAS, nationwide, 1,000 to 1,200 cases of meningococcal 16 disease are diagnosed each year, and 17 WHEREAS, 10 to 15 percent of infected individuals die, and 18 11 to 19 percent of those who survive suffer from serious 19 morbidity, including the loss of limbs and impacts to the 20 nervous system, and 21 WHEREAS, infants under 1 year of age, as well as young 22 adults between the ages of 16 and 21, are most commonly impacted 23 by this disease, and 24 WHEREAS, there are 12 different strains, or serogroups, of 25 Neisseria meningitides, with serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y 26 accounting for most meningococcal diseases in the United States, 27 and 28 WHEREAS, there have been several recent outbreaks of 29 serogroup B meningococcal disease on college campuses, with some 30 cases resulting in death, and 31 WHEREAS, there are vaccines that help provide protection 32 against all five serogroups commonly seen in the United States, 33 and 34 WHEREAS, vaccination for serogroups A, C, W, and Y is 35 routinely recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and 36 Prevention (CDC), and 37 WHEREAS, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization 38 Practices recommends that decisions to vaccinate adolescents and 39 young adults ages 16 to 23 against serogroup B meningococcal 40 disease should be made at the individual level in consultation 41 with their health care providers, and 42 WHEREAS, the recent incidences of meningococcal disease 43 have served as a reminder of the critical role that vaccinations 44 play in helping to prevent this devastating illness and to 45 maintain public health, NOW, THEREFORE, 46 47 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 48 49 That the Florida Senate recognizes the importance of 50 awareness of meningococcal disease, and all five dangerous 51 strains of the disease, including meningococcal B.