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Letter to the Editor: Meningitis outbreak and our responsibility as a community

As I listened to NPR on my way home, one of the students interviewed mentioned the response within the Princeton student community. She said that a number of students were not concerned about the disease and the chance of getting it or wereunwilling to take the vaccine that was being offered. After hearing over the years about how ignorant people from developing nations can be about the problem of AIDS, I realize that it isn't just limited to them — our most brilliant students can show a similar amount of dismissal. Granted, this "risky" behavior is less easy to identify than it is with AIDS.
This isn't just a decision aboutself-calculated risk. One's own decisions do have an effect on the greater community. The risk of outbreak is alarming, which is why the CDC is involved. My family lives in the area, and my biggest concern is that Princeton students will spread the disease into the greater community by not realizing the consequences of their actions — or inaction.
Stuart Fleming
West Windsor, N.J.

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