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.
“I believe that because of the severity of the disease and the increased risk of disease in first-year university students living in dormitories and residences, the MenB vaccine should be made available at no cost to the students,” Gold said. “I would prefer to cover it for all post-secondary students, to be given before the start of their first year.”
Group B strains most common in Canada
The Public Health Agency of Canada says there were about 115 cases of invasive meningococcal disease per year between 2010 and 2022, with most occurring in winter and spring.
“In Canada, U.S.A. and western Europe, group B strains cause about 50 per cent of the cases, especially in countries where children are routinely vaccinated against the other main groups of meningococci – A, C, Y and W,” Gold explained. “The predominance of B strains is partly the result of vaccination against the other groups of meningococci and also because of the greater genetic variability of B strains.”
Group B remains the most dominant strain in Canada, accounting for 40 per cent of invasive meningococcal disease cases since 2012, or about 43 cases annually, according to Meningitis Foundation Canada(opens in a new tab). Group B is even more common in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, where it accounts for 50 per cent of severe cases. That number drops to less than 25 per cent in Western Canada, where group W is the most prevalent.
Despite periodic and localized outbreaks, the Public Health Agency of Canada says incidence of invasive meningococcal disease has generally decreased over time. While it was unable to provide recent national data to confirm this, some provincial figures are available.
Ontario(opens in a new tab), for example, saw 30 confirmed cases and three deaths from invasive meningococcal disease in 2023, with most – 36.7 per cent – linked to group B. Meningitis B was also the most common strain in Ontario in 2022, at 38.5 per cent of 26 confirmed cases.
Initial symptoms can include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, stiff neck and later a dark purple rash. Anyone with symptoms should seek immediate medical attention. About 10 per cent of people who carry the bacteria don’t get sick.
Both Gold and Matthews agree that the high cost for meningitis B vaccines remains a major barrier.
“In the absence of public funding, individuals seeking meningitis B vaccination must pay out-of-pocket for the cost, which individuals may be hesitant to do because of the perception that if a vaccine isn’t covered by the government, it isn’t worth getting,” Matthews said. “Nova Scotia and P.E.I. have led the way for other Canadian provinces and territories by implementing a MenB program for post secondary students. I hope to see that type of policy change spread across Canada.”
