Meningococcal outbreak on wane, say IH officials
Health authority expects to declare outbreak of bacterial illness over in a week
The worst of the meningococcal outbreak in the Okanagan is over, say Interior Health officials, who estimate the outbreak will be declared over Feb. 13.
On Dec. 14, IH declared an outbreak of the bacterial illness in the Okanagan after recording 12 cases in 2017 throughout the Interior Health region, with around half being in the Okanagan.
Typically, the health authority sees one to three cases a year, said Dr. Karin Goodison, medical health officer.
One young man from Oliver who tested positive for meningococcal disease died last fall.
The cause of death is unknown, said Goodison.
Goodison said she is not aware of any meningococcal outbreaks this season in Canada outside of the Okanagan.
“We don’t understand what is unique about the population here that’s led to an outbreak in this group,” she said.
The meningococcal quadrivalent vaccine has been part of the routine immunization schedule for B.C. students in Grade 9 since 2016, and following the outbreak declaration, IH began offering immunization clinics throughout the Okanagan for everyone between the ages of 15 and 19.
To date, IH has administered 14,486 immunizations in the Okanagan, representing about 70 per cent of the target population.
Typically, around 3,000 students are immunized each year.
“We’re really thrilled that we’ve been able to move really quickly and get this large number of people immunized,” said Goodison.
As a result, the Okanagan is less likely than other parts of B.C. to see a meningococcal outbreak next year, she said.
IH is recommending everyone between 15 and 19 years old get immunized before the outbreak is declared over.
Once the outbreak is declared over, only students in grades 9 and 10 will be eligible to receive the vaccine for free at health centres.
The risk of meningococcal disease peaks around 18 and 19 years old, particularly among first-year college and university students and first-year military recruits, said Goodison.
“I suspect it would be related to moving to a . . . different environment, where you might have different exposures to people who are carrying it,” she said. “And you’re doing more activities that involve swapping spit, so sharing drinks, kissing, all these activities that start to occur in this age group is the way meningococcal disease is transmitted.”
For the outbreak to be declared over, the region needs to return to pre-outbreak rates.
“We also understand that the risk of invasive meningococcal disease is higher when influenza is circulating, so we wanted to make sure we were at least two weeks past our peak of influenza,” said Goodison.
There have been no confirmed cases of meningococcal disease since before the outbreak was declared in December.
“We’re past the highest risk part of this event,” said Goodison.
For more information, go online to interiorhealth.ca.