Christchurch meningococcal student was unaware of second vaccine

The Christchurch university student battling meningococcal disease wasn’t vaccinated for all strains of the illness, and the teenager’s mother is warning others to ensure they are properly protected against the deadly condition.

Health authorities confirmed yesterday that in the past week an 18-year-old student had been admitted to Christchurch Hospital with the disease.

Meningococcal disease - or bacterial meningitis - passes from one person to another through secretions from the nose or throat. It can be fatal.

The Herald can reveal the University of Canterbury student lived in student accommodation in Ilam, sharing a flat with two other students who are “fine”.

It’s recommended all students be vaccinated for meningitis before moving into the apartments. The student believed she was when given her vaccinations in Auckland last year.

But, the mother told the Herald her daughter was only given one vaccination - Menactra - against the illness, protecting her against four strains of the disease.

A second vaccine, Bexsero, protects against other strains, but the student was never told about or offered this vaccine by the Auckland health clinic they visited, the mother said.

Bexsero wasn’t funded by Pharmac when the daughter was vaccinated in December.

“I was angry,” the mother said.

“I’ve been on the phone with the medical centre asking why I wasn’t given a choice. I would have paid the $130 to get it done. I knew the risks and seriousness of meningitis which is why I got her vaccinated.

“But I wasn’t given the option.”

The mere fact the student, who is taking antibiotics and is “on the mend”, has survived was because of her oximeter, which alerted the mother to the seriousness of her daughter’s illness.

Without the oximeter recording the student’s resting heart rate at over 130bpm, the mother believes she would have dismissed her daughter’s illness as Covid-19.

The mother, whom the Herald has agreed not to name, lives in Auckland and said her daughter called her on Sunday to say she felt unwell.

The mother believed her daughter - who had a headache, body aches and a cough - might have contracted Covid. But the daughter returned a negative RAT test.

Several hours later, the student’s symptoms worsened, prompting the mother to suggest she check her temperature, which was normal.

“At four o’clock she called me to say she’d been vomiting. That’s when I said, ‘Okay get your oximeter’ so she could check her heart rates,” the mother said.

“She checked it and her resting heart rate was 133bpm, that’s when I said, ‘Something is definitely up here - you need to leave’.”

Vomiting in the car, the student was taken to a care clinic in north Christchurch by her grandparents.

Her condition worsened, a rash appeared and her temperature climbed.

Medical staff suggested it could be Covid-19 or a heat rash. The mother’s theory had switched to pneumonia, but the rash suggested to staff it could be meningitis.

The daughter’s heart rate reached 140bpm, blood pressure sharply declined and the daughter was taken to the hospital via ambulance at 11pm that night.

At 2am the following morning, the mother received a call from the hospital.

“They wanted to do a lumbar puncture, which is basically the only way to confirm meningitis,” she said.

“At this stage, I was still in Auckland, kind of panicking but I had to say yes, and the results came back with confirmed bacteria meningitis.”

They were later informed meningitis had reached her bloodstream and the daughter had septicemia.

The bacterial form of meningitis is referred to as meningococcal disease. It can be more lethal than viral meningitis but is less common to spread.

In most cases, meningococcal disease will spread through the sharing of fluids, for example coming from sharing the same drink.

The mother said it was hard to pinpoint how her daughter came down with the illness.

Second-year psychology student Julia Blackley said the Ilam apartments where the disease appeared were known for hosting large gatherings where “hundreds of students” attend parties.

She said these gatherings could increase the likelihood of the disease spreading.

The 18-year-old’s mother, however, said her daughter would have been wary about not sharing drinks.

Doctors told the family meningococcal disease can randomly lie dormant in an individual undetected.

Blackley believed the university hadn’t taken any practical measures since sending out an initial email.

“I haven’t heard anything, which is a little worrying. It’s nothing really like Covid where they require you to wear masks and contact is low - but they’re not being extremely cautious about it,” Blackley said.

When the Herald approached the University of Canterbury about this claim, the education provider reassured the risk of anyone who was in contact with the student “is low”.

“The student is recovering well and UC student support services have been in contact to support the student and their whānau,” said Paul O’Flattery, executive director people, culture and campus life.

O’Flattery pushed the importance of vaccinations.

“There are two vaccines available and the UC Health Centre strongly recommends students have both vaccines for optimal protection.”

An email from the university said “three flatmates had been identified as close contacts” and were given preventative antibiotics.

The two students living with the infected student were “doing fine”, while a third close contact was also showing no symptoms.

The mother said her daughter was recovering well since the hospital worked out the right treatment of antibiotics.

Now in Christchurch to be with her daughter, the mother said she was thankful her daughter was on the mend, but wondered what could have been done to prevent the disease.

“[The medical response] saved her life, but only because the oximeter told her heart rate,” she said.

“It’s what made me move. Otherwise, I would likely have said, ‘Ah, it’s Covid’ since it doesn’t present until the next day anyway - it could have been a different story.”

The mother approached the Herald to warn the public about the need to get vaccinated.

“There are so many Covid-19 cases in the student halls,” the mother said.

“I don’t want somebody to go through what we just did and dismiss it for Covid. [My daughter] wants good to come from this.”

On March 1, Pharmac began funding the Bexsero vaccine for all children up to the age of 12, and for people aged 13 to 25 entering their first year of specified close-up living situations.

The Meningitis Foundation Aotearoa, New Zealand is calling for all eligible people, “particularly those living in halls of residence in their first year of tertiary study” to seek vaccination for all strains of the illness.

The foundation’s chairman Gerard Rushton lost his daughter Courtenay to the disease in 2014.

He told NZME Courtenay had the standard immunisation when she was a baby. He said it was scary to have this situation unfold in a student residence.

“We must move quickly to drive uptake of vaccines for both the ACW & Y strains, and for meningococcal B. It is imperative that we protect our rangatahi,” he said.

“Secondly, we must make access to both meningococcal vaccines, as well as the pneumococcal vaccine, free for all young people.”

The 18-year-old was the third case of meningococcal case in Canterbury this year - on the back of a 71 per cent rise in cases in 2022.

Meningococcal disease symptoms typically develop quickly over a few hours, but in some cases may develop more slowly over several days. A person with meningococcal disease may only have some of the symptoms. The symptoms don’t develop in any particular order.

Common symptoms of meningococcal disease include:

· A fever (high temperature), although hands and feet may feel cold

· Vomiting

· Muscle and joint aches and pains.

Common symptoms of meningitis include:

· A headache, which may be severe

· A stiff neck

· Sensitivity to bright light

· Drowsiness and confusion (being hard to wake them).

A red or purple rash is common, but it doesn’t always happen. One or two spots can appear anywhere on the body then many more appear looking like rash or bruises.

If you’re concerned that someone in your family might have meningococcal disease, call your doctor straight away or dial 111 and describe the symptoms.

In Canterbury you can call your own general practice team 24/7 and after-hours when the practice is closed.

Simply follow the instructions on the answerphone to be put through to a health professional who can provide free health advice. You can also call Healthline 0800 611 116 24/7.

If you have seen a doctor and gone home, but are still concerned, don’t hesitate to call your doctor again or seek further medical advice.

More information on prevention can be found here.