Can You Get Meningitis After a Vaccination?
Anti-vaccine influencers are in panic mode as a meningitis outbreak continues in Kent.
Do you know why anti-vaccine influencers are talking about getting meningitis after a vaccination? When too many people get sick, like in the Kent meningitis outbreak, then they become afraid that you might not listen to them anymore. So they double down with their claims and propaganda, even as kids are getting sick and dying.
So can you get meningitis after a vaccination?
Of course you can.
After all, there are many viruses and bacteria that cause meningitis, so you may not have gotten a matched vaccine!
Can You Get Meningitis After a Vaccination?
I’m guessing that isn’t what anti-vaccine influencers are talking about when they bring up getting meningitis after a vaccination though…
They are talking about meningitis as a vaccine injury!
And that’s not really a thing with any of the vaccines we routinely use today.
While it is true that meningitis is listed in the package insert for many vaccines, know that it is in the section of side effects for which they “may not be possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to vaccine exposure.”
Also, while some vaccines have caused aseptic meningitis (no organisms were cultured) in the past, these weren’t vaccines used in the United States or vaccines used today. I’m talking about the MMR vaccine that was once used in Japan. The mumps component caused aseptic meningitis back in the 1990s and was changed. Fortunately, we used a different MMR vaccine and didn’t have this complication!
What about the studies that have found cases of meningitis after vaccination? These studies are abusing VAERS reports, which do not prove a vaccine caused the person to have meningitis. Or they are case reports (like for the chickenpox vaccine).
How Would You Get Meningitis After a Vaccine?
Any way, think about it…
Meningitis is most commonly caused by an infection of a virus or bacteria, or sometimes a fungus, parasite, or tuberculosis.
And the organism that is the cause of meningitis is usually identified by culture, etc.
So, are anti-vaccine influencers saying that some vaccines are contaminated with these viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites?
They aren’t…
What about non-infectious meningitis?
While it is a thing, the cause is often known, like cancer, lupus, NSAIDs, contrast, and head trauma.
Still, the bottom line is that if you want to avoid meningitis, then get vaccinated!
We have at least six vaccines that prevent meningitis, including MMR, Varicella, Hib, pneumococcal vaccines, and the two types of meningococcal vaccines.