Meningitis vaccines offered to 45 people who had contact with teen who died

HALIFAX – Forty-five people who were in contact with a Lower Sackville teen who died from meningococcal meningitis are being offered a vaccine.

On Tuesday, Capital Health said it will provide the vaccines for people who were in “close contact” with a person who developed the disease.

Rylee Sears, a Grade 10 Sackville High School student, died on Monday after contracting the disease last week. He had been at a party the previous weekend with up to 100 other teens.

Capital Health reached out to more than 100 people afterward and Sackville High sent a letter to parents alerting them of the situation.

A spokesperson for Capital Health said the strain responsible for the case in question was Neisseria meningitidis serogroup Y, which is not covered by routine childhood vaccinations in Nova Scotia.

He said people have been offered antibiotics to help prevent them from contracting meningitis in the short term, but the 45 people contacted could have a greater risk of developing it “in later months.”

Meningococcal meningitis is typically spread through direct contact with a person’s nasal or mouth fluids.

Anybody concerned they might have been exposed can contact a public health nurse by calling (902) 481-5800.