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April 3, 2002

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Half of Youngsters Receive Meningitis Vaccinations"

Calgary Herald (www.calgaryherald.com) (04/02/02) P. B6; Heyman, David

Calgary Health Region officials reported that over 16,000 children received free meningitis shots offered during the vaccination campaign that just ended.  The total represents just over half of the 29,000 children born between Sept. 1, 1999, and August 31, 2001, who were targeted.  For children born after August of last year, meningitis vaccinations will be given as part of their routine immunizations.  There have been 11 cases of meningococcal meningitis in the Calgary region since December 2000, including one case that resulted in death.  The disease can cause fatal inflammation of the membrane that lines the brain and spinal cord, but the vaccine against meningococcal serogroup C, the most common strain in the province, is 90 percent to 95 percent effective.

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