N.S. offers free meningococcal B vaccine to some young people

Nova Scotia is making the meningococcal B vaccine free for people under 25 who are living in a group setting like college or university residences for the first time.

Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Strang, said Thursday that invasive meningococcal disease is “very rare and not spread easily, but it can be life-threatening.”

“There are certain factors that put people at increased risk of infection, such as youth living in a large group setting for the first time," Strang said in a statement.

Strang said the province’s expansion of its meningitis vaccination program to include Nova Scotians under 25 who are living in a congregate for the first time, which includes dormitories or military barracks, will help reduce risk of transmission.

The chief medical officer said second-year students and other young people who have previously lived in congregate settings will not be made eligible for the free vaccinations.Two doses of the meningococcal B vaccine can cost more than $350 out of pocket.

“They are past their time of increased risk,” Strang said during a news conference Thursday.

The bacteria that can cause invasive meningococcal disease are spread through direct contact with the saliva or spit of an infected person. Strang said this includes sharing drinks, cigarettes and vapes and kissing.

The bacteria cannot be spread through the air or by being near a person who is infected.

Strang said there have been “two or three” cases of invasive meningococcal in the last couple of years.

In November 2022, Nova Scotia Health reported that a student at Saint Mary’s University died of meningococcal disease. A month later, Dalhousie University student Maria Gaynor died of meningitis B after she and one other student contracted meningococcal diseases. 

Students coming to Nova Scotia for the fall term are also not eligible to get the vaccine. Strang said they would have to get it in their home province.

“Our publicly funded vaccine policy is for Nova Scotians. Ideally people will be immunized before they even come to Nova Scotian universities in September," he said.

For those eligible, the free vaccine will be available to book on May 29 with appointments starting in June.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.