Nov 18, 2013 02:05 PM EST By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Princeton is considering offering a vaccination not currently available in the United States to counteract an outbreak of meningitis that's infected seven students since early May, according to Business Week.

Federal health authorities have already approved the import of a vaccination against meningitis B for Princeton's situation only. (Most other strains of the infectious disease have vaccinations in the U.S., but the one for "B" has not yet been approved.) The Center for Disease Control (CDC) successfully petitioned the Food and Drug Administration last week. The final decision is up to school officials, whose response to media questions was, "when we have something to announce, we will make an announcement," Business Week reported.

Assuming Princeton approves their use, the distribution of "B" vaccines is at least a month or two away, according to Andrin Oswald, head of a worldwide healthcare products company that distributes vaccines and diagnostics. Because the treatment has not been approved in the U.S., its execution must abide by special procedures, according to Oswald.

"If the vaccine is available, I would definitely take it," Princeton junior Joshua Taliaferro, a chemical and biological engineering student, told Business Week. "Maybe I should be afraid, but I'm not. I'm a peer health adviser and we learned a lot about how meningitis stays in a campus and what the symptoms are."

Meningitis is especially dangerous on college campuses because it spreads via close contact, such as kissing, coughing, and sharing utensils. Thus far, Princeton officials have prepared their students through informative emails and the distribution of nearly 5,000 plastic cups tagged with the message, "Mine. Not yours," according to Business Week.

Though not as infectious as most viruses, the repercussions of meningitis are serious. Symptoms begin mildly but quickly strengthen. If left untreated, the virus could be deadly.

Princeton's represents the first "B" outbreak in the U.S. forcing health officials to consider use of the non-approved vaccine, said Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Business Week reported.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit