The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is considering whether to recommend all college students nationwide get the newly approved meningitis B vaccine.
The decision comes after a recent outbreak of meningococcal meningitis on college campuses, including the University of Oregon.
The ACIP recommendation carries weight in the industry and typically prompts insurance companies to cover the expensive cost of the three or four shot vaccine.
The question is whether the meningitis B vaccine used to treat students during recent outbreaks is worth dispersing to the entire U.S. population.
Bacterial meningitis is rare with an average of around 50 cases each year nationwide.
It's estimated that the vaccine could save three or four lives a year if recommended by ACIP.
Dr. Jeff Duchin, King County's Chief of Communicable Disease, once sat on the ACIP. He says recommending everyone include the vaccine in their routine shots is a tough argument to make.
"How much are you willing to pay to prevent a very rare disease," Dr. Duchin said. "These vaccines can have adverse affects. The question is, are you are going to be vaccinating millions and millions of people to prevent a very small number of cases?"
