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Rhode Island's First Mass MenB Vaccination: Two Cases, 3,525 Students Vaccinated in One Week

RIdisease outbreakadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On February 2, 2015, the Rhode Island Department of Health was notified of the first of two serogroup B meningococcal disease cases at Providence College -- both male undergraduates, diagnosed days apart, with no known contact between them. The outbreak, caused by a rare strain (ST-9069), prompted Rhode Island's first-ever emergency deployment of the then-newly FDA-approved Trumenba MenB vaccine, with 3,525 eligible students vaccinated in 94% coverage within one week.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
2
Institution
Providence College
Private Masters · RI
~4,500 studentsPC Emergency Notification
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from CDC MMWR 'Serogroup B Meningococcal Disease Outbreak and Carriage Evaluation at a College -- Rhode Island, 2015'664 chars
Providence College is working closely with the Rhode Island Department of Health regarding two confirmed cases of meningococcal disease (serogroup B) among undergraduate students on our campus. Both students are currently receiving medical care and are improving. Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection that is not easily spread through casual contact -- it requires prolonged, close contact such as kissing or sharing food or drinks. If you experience symptoms including sudden high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, or a rash that looks like small red or purple spots, seek emergency medical care immediately. Do not wait.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The two cases were caused by the same rare outbreak strain (ST-9069), but the two students had no known direct contact with each other -- an epidemiological detail that complicated source tracing and increased urgency.
Providence College's enrollment of approximately 4,500 students made it much smaller than the UC Santa Barbara or Princeton MenB outbreaks; however, the public health response was equally intense given the outbreak strain's rarity.
The phrase 'Do not wait' at the end reflects lessons learned from prior meningococcal deaths where students delayed seeking care until symptoms had progressed to a life-threatening stage.
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from CDC MMWR and IDWeek 2015 abstract on the Rhode Island college outbreak response641 chars
Providence College and the Rhode Island Department of Health will hold meningococcal serogroup B vaccination clinics on campus beginning Sunday, February 8, and Monday, February 11. Vaccination is recommended for all undergraduate students, graduate students living on campus, and staff members under age 25 or with a suppressed immune system. The vaccine, Trumenba, is being provided free of charge. Close contacts of the two confirmed cases have already received antibiotic prophylaxis. Potential close contacts were also identified and treated. Three doses of Trumenba are required for full protection; additional doses will be scheduled.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

This was one of the first large-scale campus deployments of Trumenba (MenB-FHbp), which received FDA approval in October 2014 -- just three months before the Providence College outbreak.
3,061 students received first-dose Trumenba on February 8 alone; catch-up clinics the following week brought total first-dose coverage to 3,525 persons (94%).
The decision to also give antibiotic chemoprophylaxis to close contacts added a parallel prevention layer while vaccine-induced immunity was building over the 14-day incubation window.
Context

Background

The Providence College meningitis B outbreak of February 2015 became a landmark public health case documented in the CDC's MMWR and presented at IDWeek 2015 as Rhode Island's first widespread campus deployment of the Trumenba MenB vaccine. Two male undergraduates fell ill within a week of each other -- the first notified on February 2, the second on February 5 -- both infected with a rare outbreak strain (Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B, ST-9069) despite having no known contact with each other. Both students survived. The Rhode Island Department of Health and CDC coordinated a rapid response: 3,525 Providence College students and eligible staff members received a first dose of Trumenba within one week of the second case's confirmation, achieving 94% coverage. Close contacts received antibiotic chemoprophylaxis simultaneously. The outbreak occurred just three months after the FDA approved Trumenba in October 2014, making Providence College's campaign a critical early real-world test of campus MenB vaccination logistics. Harvard's Crimson reported that several peer institutions, including Harvard, were closely monitoring the situation given the broader 2013-2017 wave of serogroup B outbreaks on US campuses.
Analysis

Key Findings

Two unrelated cases of a rare meningococcal B strain (ST-9069) within days of each other -- with no known contact between patients -- drove the emergency response
Rhode Island's first mass campus MenB vaccination achieved 94% coverage (3,525 persons) in one week using Trumenba, approved by the FDA just three months earlier
Simultaneous antibiotic prophylaxis for close contacts created a dual-layer prevention strategy while vaccine immunity was being established
Both students survived; no additional cases were identified
Outcome
Both students survived. The outbreak strain (ST-9069) was rare and had not previously caused campus outbreaks. A 94% vaccination coverage rate was achieved within one week of the second confirmed case. No additional cases were identified.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Serogroup B Meningococcal Disease Outbreak and Carriage Evaluation at a College -- Rhode Island, 2015 -- CDC MMWR
    cdc.gov
  2. Source
    Abstract: Rapid response to a Rhode Island college outbreak of meningococcal serogroup B disease -- IDWeek 2015
    idsa.confex.com
  3. Student Paper
    Harvard monitors meningitis cases at Yale, Providence College -- The Harvard Crimson
    thecrimson.com
  4. Source
    Providence College -- National Meningitis Association
    nmaus.org
  5. News
    Outbreak News Today: Providence College student treated for meningococcal meningitis
    outbreaknewstoday.com
Tags
meningitismeningitis-bmeningococcaldisease-outbreakpublic-healthvaccinationrhode-islandprivate-universitycdc-mmwrtrumenba
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion