[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 583 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 583
To require the provision of information to parents and adults
concerning bacterial meningitis and the availability of a vaccination
with respect to such disease.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 10, 2003
Mrs. Hutchison introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the provision of information to parents and adults
concerning bacterial meningitis and the availability of a vaccination
with respect to such disease.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Meningitis Immunization Awareness
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Approximately 3,000 cases of meningococcal disease
occur each year in the United States. Approximately 10 to 13
percent of patients with such disease die despite receiving
antibiotics early in the disease. Of those individuals who
survive, an additional 10 percent have severe after-effects of
the disease, including mental retardation, hearing loss, and
loss of limbs.
(2) There is a vaccine that protects individuals against
some types of bacterium Neisseria meningitidis (also known as
meningococcus), an important cause of bacterial meningitis and
sepsis in children and young adults. A single dose of the
vaccine is recommended, and vaccination will decrease the risk
of the disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis.
(3) Currently, the only group of individuals that is
vaccinated against bacterial meningitis is the members of the
armed forces. The only other group of individuals that have
been encouraged to get the vaccine are those individuals
attending college.
SEC. 3. PROVISION OF INFORMATION.
(a) Development of Information.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services, in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, shall develop and make available to entities
described in subsection (b) information concerning bacterial meningitis
and the availability and effectiveness of vaccinations for individuals
2 years of age or older with respect to such disease.
(b) Entities.--An entity is described in this subsection if the
entity--
(1) is--
(A) a child care center or provider that is
licensed or certified under an appropriate State law;
(B) an elementary or secondary school (as such
terms are defined in the Elementary and Secondary
School Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);
(C) a college or university;
(D) a boarding school or summer camp;
(E) a prison or other detention facility; or
(F) any other entity that provides for the housing
of individuals in a dorm-like setting; and
(2) any other entity determined appropriate by the
Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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