Olympic medalist makes a splash for meningitis prevention in Utah

12-time Olympic gold medalist Dara Torres races against high school swim teams to
teach that 70% of teens are not properly vaccinated

Media Contact:
Kylee Spjut
kcspjut@gmail.com
513-510-0610

Nov. 12, 2016 9:00 MST

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 12, 2016 Mother of two and experienced Olympic swimmer
Dara Torres is encouraging Utah moms to talk to their health care provider about getting the
meningitis vaccine for their kids, by competing against Utah high school swim teams. The
Utah Department of Health is sponsoring this event to teach about the severity of
meningococcal meningitis and how it can be prevented with a simple vaccine.

Torres will swim a series of 24-lap races against Utah high school swim teams to encourage
mothers to become aware of the effects of meningitis. The 24-lap races symbolize the idea
that meningitis can kill in just in 24 hours. These races will be held at local high schools in
Utah from Nov. 14 Dec. 19, 2017. At each meet held across the state, Torres will be
accompanied with a nurse practitioner from the National Association of School Nurses and a
meningitis survivor, or a parent who has lost a child to the disease. These representatives will
discuss the dangers and preventions of meningitis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children receive one dose
of the meningitis vaccine at age 11 or 12 and a second vaccination at 16. Approximately six
hundred to one thousand people contract meningitis in the U.S. However, this can be lowered
if mothers talk to their health care professionals and more teens get the vaccination to prevent
it altogether.

Meningitis is primarily caused by viruses and bacteria. It can be passed from one infected
person to another, simply through coughing, sneezing or sharing items. This disease may look
like flu symptoms, but if not treated can cause hearing problems, loss of limbs, or death. This
likelihood is especially increased during flu season and while children are in school. Of the
four cases of meningococcal meningitis in the past three years in Utah, two died. All of this
can be prevented through the meningitis vaccination.

There is one thing parents might be forgetting to guard their kids againstmeningococcal
disease, Torres said. As a mom of young athletes, Im glad to lend my voice to this
meaningful public health program about the serious consequences of meningococcal disease
and the importance of vaccination. Torres hopes that parents will feel empowered and
motivated to make sure their child is up to date with their vaccinations by talking to their
health care providers. To learn more about this event, please visit
http://health.utah.gov/index.html.

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About Utah Department of Health:
The Utah Department of Health wants the people of Utah to be the healthiest people in the
nation. The state has 13 local health departments and together they detect and prevent
outbreaks of infectious disease, promote healthy lifestyles and safe behaviors, protect citizens
from man-made and natural disasters, and provide access to health care services for Utah's
most vulnerable populations