Diseases like meningitis and hepatitis can be life threatening, and students living in college dorms are at a greater risk of contracting them.
That's why Gov. Jim Doyle has signed a bill that would increase education about the illnesses for area college students and raise awareness about the vaccines available to prevent them.
"A lot of young people move in together into a very crowded space," said Gov. Jim Doyle. "Many of us have been there, I've been there in those types of dorms and it is a problem with meningitis and hepatitis and that's why we've addressed it with this bill."
There are two forms of meningitis, viral and bacterial. The viral form is more dangerous, because there is no cure for it.
"Essentially, it can paralyze the muscles, to the extent where it could paralyze your lungs, your diaphragm, your heart," said Sue Burtch, VNA Home Health, "and that's where it becomes a fatal disease.""
Burtch says the disease is only fatal in some cases, but is always a very difficult illness to recover from. She recommends nearly everyone be vaccinated.
