Since November, three cases of type-B meningococcal disease have occurred at Oregon State University. These cases qualified the campus to be labeled with “outbreak” status by federal, state and county public health officials, according to an email sent out to all Corvallis campus OSU students.

Although this disease is not highly contagious, college students are at a higher risk of contracting the disease, according to Jessica Anderson, a resident nurse at Student Health Services.

“It (type-B meningococcal disease) is something that’s spread a lot more commonly among the younger population where you’re in bigger groups of people and you’re more likely to share saliva,” Anderson said. “(It’s) just a lot more people in close quarters.”

Students are able to get vaccinated on the OSU campus at SHS from nurses, as well as in the pharmacy.

“Come to Student Health Services, check into the clinic, tell them you want the vaccination, we’ll set you up with nursing. Majority of the time you’re going to come through nursing,” Anderson said. “Come in, we check you out, ask you a couple screening questions to make sure that you’re healthy enough to get the vaccination and then give you the shot. It takes about five minutes all in all.”

Two commonly used brands of the type B meningococcal disease vaccines, Bexsero and Trumenba, are provided by SHS. According to the email, students are reminded that it is important to get the same brand of vaccination for all doses.

Students who received their first dose of the vaccination at the SHS vaccine clinics at McAlexander Fieldhouse on March 8 or March 9 can now receive a second dose. Additional on-campus vaccine clinics will be organized by SHS on April 17 and 18, according to Susie Brubaker-Cole, vice provost of student affairs in an email on March 24.

For more information, students can call the Medical Advice Nurse Line at 541-737-2724. Students can also visit SHS in the Plageman Building from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.