A student who contracted meningitis at a 麻豆精选 high school is recovering and health officials say they 补谤别苍鈥檛 expecting to see any more cases of the disease related to the student.
The high school student was diagnosed last week with meningitis, caused by meningococcal disease, and a letter was sent out to parents informing them of the situation, despite a low risk of it spreading.
Interior Health says this is the second case of meningitis reported in the Interior Health region this year. A normal year would see between two and five cases diagnosed.
鈥淭丑别 people that were at risk and in contact with this particular person have all been identified and have been offered 补苍迟颈产颈辞迟颈肠蝉,鈥� said Interior Health medical health officer Dr. Silvina Mema. 鈥淲别 have identified who is at risk and have dealt with it, so we are not expecting any more cases. The risk is very 濒辞飞.鈥�
Meningitis presents with symptoms of high fever, headache, stiff neck and drowsiness but Mema said there was nothing to indicate that the disease is circulating in the community.
鈥淭丑颈蝉 is a single case; we are not talking about an outbreak or a 肠濒耻蝉迟别谤,鈥� she said. 鈥淲丑补迟 we know is that up to 10 per cent of teenagers can carry the bacteria but less than one per cent will develop any disease from it. 滨迟鈥檚 common to have the disease among teenagers and 迟丑补迟鈥檚 probably because they share water bottles and are in close contact with each 辞迟丑别谤.鈥�
Mema said the regular vaccination schedule in B.C. covers meningococcal disease and its various strains but added not even vaccinations can be 100 per cent effective.
鈥淭丑别 vaccines cover the most common strains and 迟丑补迟鈥檚 great because 飞别鈥檝别 eliminated the most common 蝉迟谤补颈苍蝉,鈥� said Mema. 鈥淲别 诲辞苍鈥檛 them as much as before but that means the strains that are not covered by the vaccine begin to emerge. Being immunized is the best way to protect yourself against 尘别苍颈苍驳颈迟颈蝉.鈥�
A new vaccine against four different meningococcal strains is being introduced this year for Grade 9 students, according to Mema.
