Meningitis death of Halifax university student renews calls to expand vaccination against deadly strain

The death of a student from Halifax's Saint Mary’s University over the weekend in hospital is a confirmed case of meningitis.

Nova Scotia public health isn’t saying much more about who died or the strain of meningitis identified, but senior regional medical officer of health Dr. Ryan Sommers says there is no outbreak.

Dr. Sommers says public health has contacted more than a dozen people considered close contacts of the student.

“And within 10 days of their last exposure, we'll offer them an antibiotic to take, to help eradicate any presence of the bacteria that they may have,” he says.

Dr. Sommers says they will also be able to access a strain-specific vaccine.

For 20-year-old Alex Ryan, the news of the death hits home.

“Hearts go out to the family specifically, but also the friends and all the other connections,” says Ryan.

Ryan is the co-director of an awareness organization, “B for Kai”, which began after his best friend, Kai Matthews, died of meningitis last May at the age of 19.

At the time, Matthews was a student at Acadia University. He died 30 hours after developing a high fever and chills, due to meningococcal meningitis type B -- the deadliest strain.

That strain is not covered by Nova Scotia's public vaccination program.

After his death, Matthew’s family and friends began campaigning for better access to the MenB vaccine, hosting campus immunization clinics and lobbying post-secondary institutions to cover the shot through student health plans. 

The vaccine is now covered for students at Dalhousie University, St. Francis Xavier, and NSCC. Thursday, a spokesperson with SMU told CTV News its student association health plan also includes the MenB vaccine.

“I would love to check off the box of having it covered at every university and post-secondary school across Canada,” says Ryan. “I think that's within reach, and where we’re at only a year into B for Kai, the amount that we have accomplished, I think it’s entirely doable.”

“It’s just about continuing with what we’ve done so far.”

Bacterial meningitis spreads through direct contact with saliva and nasal secretions, in activities such as sharing food and drink, utensils or glasses, toothbrushes, and kissing. 

Dr. Sommers says for all strains, the effects can be serious, with 10 per cent of cases being fatal. Another 10 to 20 per cent of patients, he says, can suffer significant effects such as hearing loss or brain damage.

One of the challenges of the illness, he adds, is that symptoms can progress within hours.

“The big red flags to watch for are severe fever, very stiff neck, and the presence of the rash,” he says. “Then people should seek medical care as soon as possible."

Other symptoms include intense headache, sensitivity to light, and changes in alertness.

Vaccines covered under the provincial immunization programs include the monovalent meningococcal C vaccine at 12 months of age and the quadrivalent meningococcal A, C, Y, W135 vaccine for school-age children.

The province says it has no plans to add the MenB vaccine to the program.

“We take all our advice from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization,” says Dr. Sommers. “At this time, they only recommend the MenB vaccine for a very particular high-risk individuals, or if there's been an outbreak.”

In 2015, hundreds of students at Acadia University were vaccinated against the B strain in a free two-dose program after an outbreak at the school in Wolfville, N.S., caused the death of one student.

Earlier that same year, Nova Scotia public health expanded the types of meningitis covered in its school vaccination program after the death of 16-year-old Rylee Sears of Lower Sackville, N.S.

“Absolutely it should be included in health care,” says Alex Ryan, part of his call to make the MenB vaccine available more widely, to prevent any more deaths.