Immunizations are being credited for Interior Health seeing no additional meningococcal cases since last year.
The Health Authority declared Wednesday an end to the meningococcal outbreak in the Okanagan.
“I want to thank the public for helping us reach this milestone, by sharing information with their
friends and family and encouraging those most at risk to get immunized” said Medical Health Officer Dr. Silvina Mema in a news release.
“A large proportion of the high-risk population is now protected against meningococcal disease, which will greatly reduce the likelihood of future cases of this disease.”
An Okanagan-wide meningitis outbreak affecting 15-19-year-olds was declared by Interior Health in consultation with the BC Centre for Disease Control and the Provincial Health Officer on December 14, 2017.
The outbreak declaration was immediately followed by a mass immunization campaign for all Okanagan residents in this age group.
Interior Health estimates that more than 11,000 eligible residents were vaccinated during the outbreak.