On what seemed like a normal Sunday morning in November, Megan Plamondon, Comm ’26, went on a two-hour run with the Queen’s Triathlon team. By the evening, she could barely get out of bed.
Plamondon contracted meningococcal disease, a potentially life-threatening illness caused by bacterium Meningitis B (MenB) and spread through saliva. After two cases were reported in Kingston university students, the Kingston, Frontenac, Lenington & Addington (KFL&A) Public Health began a vaccination campaign, while Student Wellness Services (SWS) has begun to raise awareness about the infection and vaccine.
Though contracting Meningitis B is rare, university students are at particular risk since sharing cups, vapes, and lipstick are common ways the infection transmits.
“This is a rare but serious illness. KFL&A Public Health is encouraging all students to get the meningococcal B vaccine,” Director of SWS Cynthia Gibney said in a statement to The Journal.
In 2022, a student in residence at Dalhousie University died from the illness. Plamondon remembers the incident because her mother sent her a news article at the time, reminding her to watch out for symptoms such as a stiff neck and headaches.
By Monday, Plamondon was sitting in the waiting room of Kingston General Hospital but left without getting care because she was in so much pain. She called her mother when she got home, who urged Plamondon to go back to the hospital, remembering the article about the Dalhousie student.
On Tuesday, Plamondon made it to Hotel Dieu with a housemate and within hours received a spinal tap to test for Meningitis B.
“Meningitis progresses very quickly and if you don’t catch it, it can kill you with in a matter of days, and it kills you usually in your sleep. I just wouldn’t have woken up,” Plamondon said.
Doctors in hazmat suits filled the hospital room, but Plamondon was so weak and sensitive to light the spinal tap had to be done while she was lying down and in the dark. Her mother drove up from Ottawa to be by her side.
Plamondon doesn’t remember much of her two weeks in the hospital but feels lucky to be fully recovered.
“I don’t want to say I’m lucky because I did get meningitis, but I’m lucky I survived and don’t have any lingering symptoms,” Plamondon said.
Plamondon received academic accommodations for all her exams. After her story got around, most of her housemates and friends got vaccinated.
SWS has written dozens of prescriptions for the vaccine within the past few weeks, which is 80 per cent covered by the AMS health insurance plan. The MenB vaccine isn’t part of the publicly funded immunization schedules, and otherwise costs around $300.
“Promoting the meningococcal B vaccine will continue through the term and will be highlighted to the incoming class of first-year students, most of whom live in residence, which increases the risk of meningococcal disease due to the close living environment,” Gibney said.
KFL&A Public Health recently released a statement reminding Kingston residents to ensure they were up to date with the measles vaccines, as two cases were reported in the Toronto area.
Corrections
An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled Plamondon’s last name. Incorrect information appeared in the March 1 issue of The Queen’s Journal.
The Journal regrets the error
Tags
KFL&A Public Health, Meningitis, Student Wellness Services
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