Officials, activists sound alarm about meningitis risks

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), entertainment mogul Barry Klarberg and socialite Sara Herbert-Galloway delivered today a warning that sharing drink containers at the ballpark can cause meningitis.

News 12 Staff

Mar 3, 2012, 11:29 PM

Updated 4,574 days ago

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Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), entertainment mogul Barry Klarberg and socialite Sara Herbert-Galloway delivered today a warning that sharing drink containers at the ballpark can cause meningitis.
Klarberg and Herbert-Galloway have embraced the cause of meningitis prevention after their close friend Nick Springer contracted the potentially deadly illness in 1999.
To save his life, doctors were forced to amputate both of Springer's legs at the knee and his hands at the forearm.
The age-long battle against meningitis can now be won for the price of a simple vaccination, which most insurance companies will cover.
Herbert-Galloway says her children were so deeply affected by what happened to Springer that they took up the cause and made it their own, as did Sen. Blumenthal, who says sharing drink containers has become a public health menace.
"Do not share drinking bottles with anyone, even family members," says Herbert-Galloway.
Connecticut lawmakers are fighting to make meningitis vaccinations mandatory for all college students.