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Infectious-ly spreading the word

Lucy Hale, the bubbly 25-year old actress from Memphis, Tenn., plays the quirky, central protagonist high schooler, Aria Montgomery, in "Pretty Little Liars" on ABC Family.

She performed a concert Wednesday night at Haddon Heights Baptist Regional School (300 Station Ave., Haddon Heights, N.J.) in an effort to raise awareness of the prevention of meningococcal meningitis.

In an interview yesterday, Hale, whose mom is a nurse, said that millions of teens are under-vaccinated for this very preventable disease, but few take action to get there.

Most parents vaccinate their kids before they reach 13, but according to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control, less than 30 percent of kids ages 13 to 17 get the meningitis booster shot a few years later.

"I love the people that support me, and that happens to be teens," she told me yesterday.

"I love music and believe in the power of music and how it can spread a message…This is a really scary disease and if you get it, it can take your life within 24 hours."

MTV News reported today that in season six of "Pretty Little Liars," Aria jumps ahead to college, where she makes steps towards her desired career in creative writing.