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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah nurses are urging pre-teens to get vaccinated for potential deadly and highly contagious meningitis as they head back to school.
The Utah School Nurse Association says vaccination is recommended for 11- or 12 year-olds with a booster dose by 18.
Children of those ages are considered at the greatest risk for catching the disease from things like kissing, sharing water bottles or being in close contact with one another.
Health authorities are spreading the word as children return to school. They're advising parents to consult doctors or school nurses.
Meningococcal disease can cause meningitis, which means swelling of the brain or spinal cord, or a blood infection.
The nurses association says only half of Utah teens have been vaccinated.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
