5th case of meningococcal disease confirmed in Nova Scotia

CORRECTION: Global News previously reported the fifth case as meningococcal meningitis. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health later clarified it as meningococcal disease. Dr. Frank Atherton says meningococcal septicaemia is a form of blood poisoning, which is different from meningococcal meningitis. He says it’s still a severe illness but there is no link between this case and the others.

HALIFAX – There is a fifth case of meningococcal disease in the province, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health tells Global News.

Dr. Frank Atherton said an elderly woman in Cape Breton has meningococcal septicaemia. No other details about her age or where she is from were disclosed. She has been discharged from hospital and is recovering.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia doesn’t vaccinate against most common meningococcal meningitis strain

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The case was reported late last week and confirmed by the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg over the weekend.

“The meningococcal infection was found in a blood sample that was taken as part of her general care,” Atherton said.

The lab in Winnipeg confirmed the strain as type B, the same as two cases reported at Acadia University.

READ MORE: Second Acadia University student diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis

“The two cases that we saw in young people in Acadia, they have been fully typed how and they were pretty much identical. That’s really why we thought it constitutes as an institutional outbreak and why those special measures are being taken.”

RELATED: Acadia student died from B strain of meningococcal meningitis

However, Atherton said there is no reason to suspect this latest case is related.

“We don’t have any reason to link it to any of the other B-strains that we’ve seen. We saw two B-strains at university students at Acadia and they were clearly linked. They were the same bug and that’s why special measures have been taken,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We don't have any reason to link it to any of the other B-strains that we've seen. We saw two B-strains at university students at Acadia and they were clearly linked. They were the same bug and that's why special measures have been taken," he said.

Further testing will take place in Winnipeg to determine if the make-up of the latest case is identical to the cases at Acadia.

Atherton said antibiotics have been distributed to close contacts of the woman but no vaccines are expected to be given.

RELATED: Acadia University student dies from bacterial meningitis

READ MORE: Lower Sackville student dies after meningococcal meningitis diagnosis