Meningitis vaccine approved for California college

Health officials at a Southern California college will start offering a vaccine against bacterial meningitis after an outbreak in November.

Officials at the University of California, Santa Barbara said Friday that federal health regulators have approved the vaccine for use on campus. The vaccine is approved for use overseas but is not yet approved for general use in the United States.

The move comes after Princeton University last year received permission to dole out the vaccine after eight students became infected.

Four students at Santa Barbara fell ill in November. Three recovered and the fourth had both feet amputated. No new cases have been diagnosed.

Meningococcal disease can be spread among people in dormitories and other crowded settings.

The university plans to hold a two-week vaccination clinic in late February.