The Effectiveness of Vaccination in Preventing the Transmission of Meningococcal B Disease on a University Campus
Date of Award
Spring 2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA)
Committee Chair
David Meckstroth
Committee Member
Lewis Chongwony
Committee Member
Karen Lankisch
Abstract
Neisseria meningitides serogroup B, commonly referred to as Meningococcal B or Meningitis B, is a highly contagious bacterial infection primarily afflicting the college-aged population with disease contraction resulting in death or severe debilitation if not expediently diagnosed and treated. Currently, there are two vaccines, Bexsero and Trumenba, approved by the Food & Drug Administration to aid in preventing this disease; however, limited research supports the use of vaccination in stopping disease progression and/or preventing disease. The theoretical framework for this study was the social-ecological model. The purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was to determine the effectiveness of vaccination in preventing the transmission of Meningococcal B disease on a university campus in Massachusetts. Secondary data were extracted from the state’s Immunization Information System, the state’s Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences infectious disease reporting database, and the research facility’s electronic health record software for eligible undergraduate student participants. ANOVA statistical testing in SAS was utilized for data analysis; variables for analysis included both vaccinated and unvaccinated students as independent variables and the incidence/prevalence of Meningococcal B disease on campus as the dependent variable. With a limited number of Meningococcal B disease cases on campus, this study failed to find a possible connection between vaccination and the incidence/prevalence of Meningococcal B disease on a university campus in Massachusetts. The results of this study will be used to encourage further research to gauge the true effectiveness of vaccination in contributing to Meningococcal B disease prevention.
Recommended Citation
Wojtowicz, Michele, "The Effectiveness of Vaccination in Preventing the Transmission of Meningococcal B Disease on a University Campus" (2022). All Doctoral Student Dissertations. 64.
https://fuse.franklin.edu/docpub/64