Meningitis Shots are Strongly Recommended for Children and Infants
College Students and Teens should also be concerned and keep their Meningitis Vaccines up-to-date
Learn all you can about how to prevent spinal meningitis disease without delay starting today
Kids and infants are at increased risk of getting meningitis disease, especially children with certain health issues and should be vaccinated for viral meningitis protection. In addition, regular vaccinations for the potentially deadly infection should continue for adolescents and college students, including adults.
Quite alarmingly and disturbingly for both the public and doctors, approximately 15% of those inflicted with bacterial meningitis pass-away from the deadly disease and its closely related complications. Just as disturbing is the fact roughly 20% who manage to survive bacterial meningitis end-up with permanent disabilities such as brain damage, amputations or loss of hearing, and other disability conditions.
All doctors, caregivers and parents should be aware meningococcal vaccines are without a doubt the best way to prevent spinal meningitis disease infections. 
Washing you hands on a regular and consistent basis and avoiding risks such as 
mosquito bites (which can cause both encephalitis and meningitis) are next in order of importance to help reduce likelihood of disease, for the benefit of your kids health in particular.
Meningitis shots are considered appropriate for infants as young as age 2-months and older children with high infection risks, immune system issues, no spleens, sickle cell disease or other high risk factors. Other young children don't necessarily need meningitis shots. However, the shots are beneficial offering a good degree of disease protection at most any age or stage in life.
Spinal meningococcal vaccines and booster shots are also recommended for children older than age 10. It's important to note a frequent spinal-meningitis onset early warning sign is a high fever. 
Pediatricians should understand how and when to use meningitis vaccines in babies, infants, teenagers, young adults and children of all ages. However, it is not necessary to give the meningitis vaccination routinely to all kids. With that said, children with risk factors are excellent vaccine candidates. That's especially important involving infants and very young children.
Meningococcal disease is linked to a number of potentially serious infections, including acute bacterial meningitis and pneumococcal pneumonia. Spinal-Meningitis and its variations are dangerous and hazardous infections of the area covering the spinal cord and brain.
Children with compromised immune-systems should be immunized with meningitis vaccines, which also targets meningitis strains in college students and school-age adolescents. You can do a search at the 
Consumer Health Information Center to learn more about spinal meningitis, research other health and wellness subjects, ask health related questions, as well as learn more about disease prevention.
Spinal meningitis can be dangerous, especially bacterial meningitis, which is far more a greater risk and potentially damaging to health vs the more commonly seen aseptic-meningitis (which is also known as viral-meningitis).
The signs and symptoms of both non-bacterial (aseptic/viral) meningitis or bacterial meningitis, and common "spinal meningitis symptoms" are very similar and not easy for a doctor to quickly diagnose correctly until lab test results are received.
Healthy children under age-10 and who develop bacterial spinal meningitis have the "B" strain. Vaccination "Type-B" has not yet been approved by the FDA, which is why that age group is not immunized routinely. There are 5-strains or variations of bacterial meningitis and each kind strikes specific genetic and age groups more or less frequently.
General recommendations are for meningitis booster shots after 3-years in high-risk kids who last had a shot prior to age-7, with booster doses 5-years later in children whose last vaccine was at age-7, or older children.
Bacterial meningitis breakouts in college dorm campuses from the "B" strain are not unexpected. That's because group living conditions are ideal for meningitis disease to strike and be transmitted between students living in dorms or other group lodging accommodations.
Increased rates of young adult alcohol consumption and smoking are also related to a higher potential to get spinal-meningitis disease. B-strain meningitis shots have already been approved in other nations (but not the USA) and can sometimes be given to college students via an emergency health request. It is hoped for a "B Strain" vaccine from the pharmaceutical manufacturers as soon as possible after its now pending FDA approval.
Parents do not necessarily need to understand the many variations and strains of meningitis, but nevertheless parents or caregivers should consult their child's pediatric doctor to verify all recommended immunizations have been given to their children. Adolescents, teens, young adults and children in high-risk groups in particular, should get meningitis shots.
Cryptococcal Meningitis