[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3791 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3791

     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

                             August 3, 2006

Mrs. Hutchison (for herself, Ms. Collins, and Ms. Snowe) 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. Symptoms are easily 
        mistaken for the flu. Because it is one of the few illnesses 
        that can kill an otherwise healthy person within 24 hours of 
        the first appearance of symptoms, there is a significant impact 
        on communities with bacterial meningitis cases or outbreaks.
            (2) Teens are at particular risk for meningococcal disease. 
        Almost 25 percent adolescents develop bacterial meningitis will 
        die and another 20 percent will lose arms or legs, suffer brain 
        damage, or become deaf.
            (3) A new one-shot vaccination that offers protection 
        against most forms of bacterial meningitis may prevent up to 83 
        percent of cases in the United States.
            (4) Crowded conditions, such as those existing at sleep 
        away camps or college dormitories, increase the risk of 
        contracting meningococcal disease. Members of the Armed Forces 
        are routinely vaccinated against bacterial meningitis. The 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American 
        Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of 
        Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the Society 
        for Adolescent Medicine recommend vaccinations for teens and 
        for college students before they return to school.
            (5) As of July 2006, approximately 30 States have laws 
        requiring that information about meningococcal disease and the 
        availability of an effective vaccine be provided to students 
        and parents of students at the time a student enrolls in 
        college. A few States also require camps, middle schools, or 
        high schools to provide parental notification of the 
        availability of a vaccine against bacterial meningitis.

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; or
            (2) any other entity determined appropriate by the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services.
                                 <all>