Provinces urged to offer students free vaccines for rare but deadly meningitis strain
CTV
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are the only provinces that offer post-secondary students free vaccination against meningitis B, a rare but deadly bacterial infection.
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are the only provinces that offer post-secondary students free vaccination against meningitis B, a rare but deadly bacterial infection.
With Canadian universities and colleges about to welcome thousands of freshmen in September, more provinces are being urged to cover the vaccines, which can cost $300 or more for two required doses.
"Meningococci can kill within hours," Meningitis Foundation Canada medical adviser Dr. Ronlad Gold told CTVNews.ca. "The best protection is vaccination."
Meningitis B, or MenB for short, is caused by Group B meningococcus bacteria. While most Canadian children receive a vaccine that covers four other strains of meningitis – groups A, C, W and Y – the comparatively new shots for group B are not part of any routine vaccination program in Canada.
Meningitis bacteria can cause a rare and severe illness known as invasive meningococcal disease, which affects less than one in 100,000 Canadians. It is fatal in up to 10 per cent of cases, according to Health Canada, while 10 to 20 per cent of survivors experience life-altering consequences such as hearing loss, neurological disabilities or amputated digits and limbs.
Gold previously headed the infectious disease division at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. He says teens and young adults are more likely to carry the dangerous bacteria for reasons that are not fully understood.
"And behaviours in this age group promote the spread of the bacteria," Gold added. "Meningococci spread from person to person through close contact: coughing, sneezing, singing, kissing, sharing glasses and utensils, being in crowded rooms such as bars."
