Cmaj Podcasts

Send us a textOn this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole explore the ongoing public health concern of meningococcal disease, focusing on meningitis B outbreaks in Canadian universities. They are joined by Dr. Cristin Muecke, a medical officer of health in Halifax, and Dr. Savita Rani, a public health specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. The episode also features the personal story of Megan Plamondon, a Queen’s University student who contracted invasive meningococcal disease.The discussion opens with a look at recent meningitis B outbreaks, including cases at Dalhousie University in 2022 and Queen’s University in 2023. The Halifax outbreak led to a targeted vaccination effort offering publicly funded MenB vaccines to students in congregate living environments, such as dormitories and residences.Dr. Muecke provides insights into the Halifax outbreak and the public health response that followed. She discusses the complexities of identifying and controlling meningococcal d