This disease is spiking in an Ontario city. But there's a vaccine — if you can afford it

Can you put a price on protecting your children from a potentially deadly meningitis-causing bacterial infection?

Right now, it's about $320 per child, unless you happen to have private insurance, for a two-dose vaccine recommended by public health officials in Kingston, Ont. — one of a handful of regions in Canada seeing a spike in local cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD).

IMD is a rare but life-threatening bacterial infection that can infect the brain and spinal cord, causing meningitis, and the bloodstream, causing septicemia.

Up to 10 per cent of people infected with IMD die, according to Health Canada, and complications include deafness, limb amputations and permanent brain damage. There are almost 200 cases in Canada per year on average.

Most IMD cases are caused by five types of bacteria: A, B, C, Y and W-135, though in Canada, group B causes most illness, according to the health department.

Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health (KFL&A) is recommending the meningococcal B vaccine for people under age 25. It's not a routine vaccine like meningococcal C, typically given to babies at age one, or meningococcal ACYW-135, administered in Grade 7 in Ontario, said the health unit.

Currently, no provinces or territories cover the cost of the meningococcal B vaccine for all children, according to the Canadian Paediatric Society.

Crystal Harris, 45, plans to vaccinate her two teenagers after getting letters from their schools in Kingston last week recommending the shots. She says she was surprised when she realized how much it would cost, and was grateful she has private insurance that covers it. She also knows she's one of the lucky ones.

"I cannot imagine having to pay that money to keep your children safe and healthy," Harris told CBC News. "It's simply wrong."

People with certain high-risk medical conditions are eligible for a free vaccine, as is anyone who comes in contact with a case. But at this point, the Kingston community at large isn't eligible for publicly funded vaccination, said Dr. Piotr Oglaza, medical officer of health at KFL&A Public Health.

The cost for the general population — about $160 per dose, with two doses required — is "absolutely" a barrier, especially for someone who doesn't have private insurance, Oglaza said.

"I fully understand and appreciate that dilemma and that struggle that individuals may face.

"But really, the best protection against this is the vaccine."

Last Thursday, KFL&A Public Health warned of an increase in invasive meningococcal disease type B activity in the region — three cases in recent months, including one pediatric case, according to Oglaza. Its last case was in 2013, he said.