US Meningitis Laws by State Resources in United States

US Meningitis Laws by State Resources

Updated July 2008

This chart contains information about meningitis vaccination laws. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have no meningitis vaccination laws.

Twenty-one states, Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin, require that post-secondary students receive the meningitis vaccination or sign a waiver after reading information about the risks of meningitis.  New York and Louisiana also impose its vaccine or waiver requirement on students in secondary schools.  Two states, Connecticut and New Jersey require the meningitis vaccination at post-secondary institutions with only medical or religious exemptions.  Sixteen states require that information about meningitis be provided to students and parents or guardians in various populations. Seven of these states, including Arkansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina and West Virgina require information be distributed exclusively to post-secondary students.

Connecticut has a law mandating students in dormitories receive the vaccine and also requires all prospective students to receive information on meningitis and its vaccination. Four states, including Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Oklahoma, in addition to vaccination requirements for post-secondary students, require information to be distributed to other specific populations. Washington only requires information is distributed to parents of students beginning with sixth grade entry.

Three states, includingIllinois, Michigan and Texas require information is distributed to post-secondary school students and other populations, but in all three states these requirements are cited in different statutes.

*Rhode Island requires the meningitis vaccine to be available to children over age two in the immunization program, but does not have specific school mandates.