Vaccination campaign wraps up

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An intense vaccination campaign aimed at stopping an outbreak of meningitis on Manitoba reserves and communities has wrapped up successfully.

"We've come pretty close to achieving a 95 per cent vaccination rate in the communities," said Dr. Ted Rosenberg, community medical consultant with Health Canada in Winnipeg.

Approximately 24,000 children between the ages of six months and 19 years were vaccinated against the deadly disease in the two-month-long campaign which ended Jan. 1. A rise in cases of meningococcal meningitis on various reserves, coupled with the deaths of a five-month old infant and a two-year-old child sparked the campaign. A total of 13 cases of infectious disease were recorded in 1993, triple the yearly average of one to four cases on Manitoba reserves.

"If we didn't vaccinate we felt that we would see a greater rise in numbers of cases," said Rosenberg.

In many communities a 100 per cent vaccination rate was achieved, said Rosenberg. The high target rate was essential for the immunization to effectively stop the outbreak.

"We're not going to completely eliminate the disease, but we can contain it," he said.

Meningitis is an infectious disease which causes swelling around the brain. Symptoms include a sudden fever, headache, stiff neck and nausea.

At the same time as Manitoba health officials were organizing the massive program, doctors in Saskatchewan were taking note of a jump in meningitis cases in

the province. A total of 24 cases were recorded by November, compared to an annual average of six to 12 cases.

Children aged two to 19 years on six reserves and in Saskatoon were targeted for an immunization program. But the appearance of an additional five meningitis cases across the province prompted health officials to launch a blanket vaccination campaign

for all children. the end of December, 46,700 children had been vaccinated. The Saskatchewan program is expected to finalize by the end of January.