Last November, Megan Plamondon, a 19-year-old commerce student and varsity athlete at Queen's University, brushed off her post-run fatigue as mere exhaustion.

After a 17-kilometre run with her triathlon team, she had a bad headache and stiff neck. Assuming it would pass, she took a nap, but woke up feeling worse.

By the next day, Megan's condition deteriorated rapidly—she couldn't see clearly, and lacked the energy to walk, or even get out of bed. Miles away, her worried mother urged her to go to the hospital, where the bright lights of the waiting room and an all-consuming headache were too much for Megan to handle, and she returned home to a dark room to rest. But her symptoms persisted, and she went to another hospital the next day, with vomiting, weakness, light sensitivity, a headache, and a stiff neck.

In many cases, meningitis B can be difficult to diagnose because it looks like cold and flu symptoms and because of this there can be a delay in recognizing it’s a serious bacterial infection. In Megan’s case, a spinal tap revealed bacterial meningitis. Ten days of antibiotic treatment in the ICU and a prolonged recovery followed.

Megan's ordeal underscores the serious threat of meningitis B, a bacterial infection that can strike swiftly with devastating consequences. As cases rise in Canada among young adults, understanding the symptoms, risks, and preventive measures, including vaccination, has never been more crucial.

What is meningitis B?

Meningitis B is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection, which can cause an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. It's caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis group B and is spread by direct contact with secretions from the nose and mouth of infected people. This bacterial infection can progress very rapidly.

In Canada, there are 100 to 400 cases of meningitis reported every year, according to the Meningitis Foundation Canada.

According to the most recent data published by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the majority of cases--49.5%--were associated with serogroup B and accounted for the largest proportion of cases in most age groups. Among infants and young children, serogroup B accounted for 73% of all invasive meningococcal disease cases.

One in ten people who contract the disease don't survive.

Meningitis B is preventable through vaccination; however, vaccination is not included when children receive their routine shots in Canada (although it is in other parts of the world such as the UK, France, Italy, and South Australia, among others). In Canada, meningitis B vaccines must be requested and purchased separately.

Symptoms

While an uncommon disease, meningitis B is hard to diagnose and could be deadly in as little as 24 hours. Meningitis B symptoms are often mistaken for other more common viral infections like a cold or flu.

Early symptoms can include headache, fever, a stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, and muscle pain. Symptoms can progress to confusion, sensitivity to light, and a rash that spreads quickly--a sign that infection has spread to the bloodstream. "It's those other signs that start to point to this being a more serious infection, but a diagnosis of meningitis B is often missed initially," explains Dr. Courtney Bell, a family physician based in Guelph, Ontario.

Causes

Meningitis B can be spread easily through everyday behaviours like coughing or sneezing, sharing eating utensils, sharing food, drinks or water bottles, kissing and close physical contact.

The disease can affect people of any age. However, infants and children under five, followed by adolescents (15 to 19 years old) and young adults (20 to 24 years old), are at the greatest risk of contracting meningitis B. Young children are at highest risk because they have underdeveloped immune systems. Teens tend to be at higher risk because of lifestyle behaviours, such as congregate living, kissing, and sharing drinks

There has been an increase in meningitis B cases across Canada, namely in Canadian universities. Studies suggest that post-secondary students are five times more likely to contract meningitis B, than among those not attending university. Students are often more susceptible due to communal living arrangements, behaviours and activities.

Surviving Meningitis B

Meningitis B was not on Andrea Kerton's radar at all. The first time the Toronto mom heard about meningitis B was when her daughter Chloe, a first-year university student living in residence at Dalhousie University, was in the intensive care unit in Halifax. Earlier, Chloe called her mom in Toronto saying she felt really sick. "Chloe had already had a couple of colds, and I didn't really think much of it that afternoon," explains Kerton.

But that changed rapidly. It became the most terrifying moment of Andrea Kerton's life, when an emergency room doctor called her and said Chloe's blood pressure had dropped drastically. Kerton told the doctor her daughter had mentioned having a rash on her arms along with other symptoms, and the doctor, suspecting meningitis, started giving Chloe antibiotics before even doing a spinal tap, which tests fluid from around the spinal cord for bacteria.

"When we talked to the ICU doctors the next morning, they credited the emergency room doctor with saving Chloe's life," recalls Kerton. Chloe recovered in hospital.

Research suggests that one in three meningitis B survivors will have long-term effects like hearing or vision loss, epilepsy, mental health or learning problems, among others.

"All of that then can contribute to things like anxiety, depression, and just mentally not being okay. So, even though this disease is rare, it's serious. And if you survive, you're left with these long-term consequences that really impact your quality of life moving forward," says Dr. Bell.

It can take months for children and young people to recover from meningitis B, and getting back to their studies is often the goal. Most people find a phased approach allows them time to adjust. Each person’s experience differs, so finding the right help and support is key.

Preventative measures

Meningitis B is vaccine preventable. However, meningitis B vaccines aren't publicly funded in most provinces. You can prioritize your family’s health and your child’s overall well-being by proactively asking your doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider about meningitis B vaccination.

For more information about meningitis B visit www.meningitisb.ca or talk to your healthcare provider.

A new era for human health