Tulsa Mom Seeks To Get Meningitis Vaccines Made Mandatory

The sad story has many parents wondering how they can protect their children from meningitis. One Tulsa mom also wants vaccines made mandatory, but there is one doctor who says it's not so simple.

Saturday, April 24th 2010, 10:01 pm

By: News On 6

Tulsa Mom Seeks To Get Meningitis Vaccines Made Mandatory

By Dan Bewley, The News on 6

TULSA, OK -- People from across the country were in Oologah to support the community Saturday, which was World Meningitis Day. Two children died and five others were hospitalized.

"We're hoping after the recent outbreak, with so much pain and just so much tragedy we're hoping by bringing this event here today instead of having it at home in the Houston area that it can bring some healing and some joy and maybe some closure to some of the families," Meningitis Angels Founder Frankie Milley said.

The sad story has many parents wondering how they can protect their children from meningitis. One Tulsa mom also wants vaccines made mandatory, but there is one doctor who says it's not so simple.

It's a tragedy that has gripped Oklahoma. Two children have died and six others are dealing with the aftermath of bacterial meningitis.

Crystal Gonzalez has been following the story from her Tulsa home. She doesn't know any of the children; she's just a parent worried about the dangers of bacterial meningitis.

"Fear for my child because I want my child and everybody else's children to be protected especially if my child is playing with other kids," Tulsa resident Crystal Gonzalez said.

Right now a vaccine for only one form of meningitis is mandatory in Oklahoma, but Gonzalez would like to see every strain covered under a mandatory vaccine.

"It's difficult," Dr. Robert Gray, Director of OMNI Medical Group, said.

Gray is the Director of OMNI Medical Group at St. John Health System. He acknowledges these cases can be frightening. But, he says, it's not so simple to make a vaccine mandatory.

His first point is that meningitis is rare, according the CDC the chances of someone dying from meningitis is one in a million and it would take about 400,000 doses to build up a herd immunity to prevent just one case. That low risk and high cost, he says makes it very difficult for policy makers to rationalize spending the money.

Gray also says there would need to be controlled studies to determine whether a mandatory vaccine would, indeed, be effective against a disease that's so rare.

"You have to factor that into the equation because if it's not going to happen very often then you might actually give credit to a vaccine when, in fact, they wouldn't have had it anyway, so how can you tell," Gray said.

Gonzalez says cost shouldn't be a factor, adding the only thing that's important is community leaders do what's necessary to protect children.

"I think whatever they can do they need to do," Gonzalez said.

The mother of the most recent victim, Damin Hampton, said he may be able to go home in two weeks. She originally thought he would have to stay in the hospital for several months.