Massachusetts State requires that students have certain immunizations completed prior to arriving on campus. In the event of a campus disease exposure or outbreak, non-immunized students may be required to leave campus during the period of contagion.

Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attacks the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal.


Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist:

Latent TB Infection

TB bacteria can live in the body without making you sick. This is called latent TB infection. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. People with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. However, if TB bacteria become active in the body and multiply, the person will go from having latent TB infection to being sick with TB disease.

Active TB Disease

TB bacteria become active if the immune system can’t stop them from growing. When TB bacteria are active (multiplying in your body), this is called TB disease. People with TB disease are sick. They may also be able to spread the bacteria to people they spend time with every day.


Meningitis (Meningococcal)

Meningococcal disease is a serious, potentially fatal infection that most often causes severe swelling of the tissue around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) or a serious blood infection (meningococcemia).

How Meningococcal Disease is Caused

Meningococcal disease is caused by Neisseria meningitidis, a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in older children and young adults in the United States. There are five types of bacteria or serogroups for meningococcal disease that circulate worldwide: A, B, C, Y, and W-135.

How Meningococcal Disease is Spread

Meningococcal disease is spread person-to-person through the air by respiratory droplets (e.g., coughing, sneezing). The bacteria also can be transmitted through direct contact with an infected person, such as oral contact with shared items like cigarettes or drinking glasses, and through kissing.