IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR GRADE 12 PARENTS

Grad Parents

please find the vaccine information listed below to my understanding the hard copy of the consent form can be picked up in the school office.  Also below are the Executive List Numbers if you need to reach someone on the executive.   If you know of anyone wanting to be added to the email list please have them call me at 250-639-4300 or email me at gcord@live.ca .  We are also looking for 5 or 6 volunteers to do the Barbeque for the Scramble the Amazing Race May 27th/2017, which would involve picking up the food and drinks bringing it to Radley Park and barbequing the food for the kids.  It is usually a great afternoon for the kids and are usually starving after they have finished the scramble if you are interested please contact me.  Thank you, Gina Cordeiro

Dear Parent(s) / Student:

Meningitisbc.org is pleased to announce that we will be sponsoring Meningitis Vaccine Clinics for two (2) types of meningitis vaccines: BEXSERO^® (Men-B) and MENVEO™ (Strains A, C, W-135 & Y) for 2017 graduating students, in the Mount Elizabeth Middle/Senior Secondary School cafeteria on the following dates:

1^st Dose of (4CMenB) – BEXSERO^®         Tuesday, February 28^th@ 3:00 p.m.

2^nd Dose of (4CMenB) – BEXSERO^®       Tuesday, March 28^th @ 3:00 p.m.

MCV4 (A, C, W-135& Y) – MENVEO™  Tuesday, April 25th^th @ 3:00 p.m.

ALL VACCINE CONSENT FORMS MUST BE RETURNED BY: FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17^TH

Save On Foods Pharmacist has graciously volunteered to administer the 4CMenB vaccine BEXSERO^® and the MCV4 vaccine MENVEO™.   We are introducing the new meningitis vaccine (4CMenB) – BEXSERO^® that was approved by Health Canada in December 2013.  BEXSERO^® protects against meningococcal serogroup B disease, and has been authorized for use in individuals 2 months through 17 years of age.

The BEXSERO^® vaccine requires 2-doses of the vaccine given over a 1-month period. In checking with the Manufacturer of the drug, it is recommended that the MCV4 (4-strain) meningitis vaccine – MENVEO™, be administered 1-month after the last dose of the BEXSERO^® vaccine, to ensure efficiency of the vaccines.  This is why the vaccines clinics are spread over a 3-month period.

The B-strain meningitis is the cause of the meningitis outbreaks currently afflicting the United States, and more recently Acadia University in Nova Scotia. MenB is the most common type of meningitis in Canada. It is responsible for 80 per cent of meningococcal cases in infants under one year of age, 67 per cent in one to four year olds and 62 per cent of the cases in adolescents aged 15 to 19.

The vaccines cost $120.00 per dose and some extended health care plans do cover the cost, like Manulife.  It is our hope that you will take this opportunity to protect your child from meningitis by completing the attached Consent Forms for the new multicomponent meningococcal B vaccine (4CMenB) BEXSERO^® and the MCV4 vaccine MENVEO™.

ALL VACCINE CONSENT FORMS MUST BE COMPLETED AND RETURNED TO M.E.M.S.S. OFFICE BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17^TH.

Payment can be made at the Save On Pharmacy after the Consent Forms have been submitted to the M.E.M.S.S. office. Please make payments AFTER February 22nd to allow the participating students list to be available to the pharmacists.

Vaccination Day Procedure:  Students register in the cafeteria at 3:00pm and are provided a number for a first come first serve process. (students often catch up on homework or socialize) STUDENTS THAT HAVE TO GO TO WORK SHOULD STATE SO AT TIME OF REGISTERING.  The last vaccination is generally completed by 6:00pm, although dependent on numbers of vaccinations.

ALL STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO WAIT 15 MINUTES AFTER SHOT TO ENSURE NO REACTION OCCURS.

Students in the ACE-IT Program in Terrace can come to the cafeteria upon arriving back in Kitimat or arrange with Save On Pharmacy for a time to be Vaccinated.

Students home ill on vaccination day may also arrange with the Save On Pharmacy for an alternate time to be vaccinated.  (PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THE PHARMACISTS SCHEDULE AND ONLY USE THIS OPTION IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY).

Should you require any further information or clarification feel free to contact Donna Dueck on her cell 250-639-5604 (texts ok too)or 250-632-2591. Consent forms not left at the office on February 17th can be dropped off at 1 Angle St.

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THE INFORMATION THAT ACCOMPANIES THIS LETTER. WE VERY MUCH WANT YOU TO BE EDUCATED ABOUT THIS SERIOUS DISEASE.

Who Are We? Meningitisbc.org is a non-profit society founded by parents who have lost our children to a strain (Y-strain) of meningitis, a disease that could have been prevented by a simple vaccination. BC children are only vaccinated against one strain of meningitis – MenC, (in Grade 6). However, a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine called MCV4 was and is available, and is used in 8 provinces across Canada. This vaccine protects against 4 of the 5 most common strains of meningitis (A, C, W-135 & Y). Immunize BC, the BC Pediatric Society, and the National Association Committee on Immunization (NACI) rigorously recommends MCV4 for post-secondary students.

Your child can now be protected and prevent them against ALL FIVE (5) of the most common strains of meningitis that cause disease worldwide: A, B, C, W-135 and Y, during the peak risk years of invasive meningococcal disease (15-27 years). Please take this opportunity to protect your child.

Please find attached:

➢     Meningococcal (Groups A, C, W-135, Y) Conjugate Vaccine – Menveo^TM Consent Form

➢     Multicomponent Meningococcal B Vaccine (4CMenB) BEXSERO^®

Consent Form x 2 – 1 for each dose.

➢     MenBC Photograph Video Taping Consent form

Website Links:

➢     Link to BEXSERO^® website:  http://www.bexsero.ca/en/index.shtml

➢     Link to the Public Health Agency of Canada website:

➢      http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/naci-ccni/mening-4cmenb-exec-resum-eng.php

➢     Link to VIDEO – “The Fastest Hour” by Meningitis Now: https://vimeo.com/119123802

➢     Meningitis Vaccine / Fact Sheet– HealthLink BC http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/pdf/hfile23b.pdf

We encourage you to learn even more about bacterial meningitis by visiting our Facebook Page or website and reading our children’s personal stories:  www.meningitisbc.org or  www.meninfo.ca or Meningitis Research Foundation Canada http://www.meningitis.ca/en/. Also, speak to your child’s physician about meningococcal and other adolescent vaccines.

Sincerely,  Donna Dueck for Janet Munro

MeningitisBC.org

Founder – Chairperson