Ontario students to benefit from new vaccine.(NEWS / NOUVELLES)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Parents will be able to choose to vaccinate their children against four strains of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) beginning in September.

The Ontario government will supply the vaccine, Menactra, for use in the voluntary school-based immunization program for Grade seven students.

Menactra provides protection against four strains of IMD (A, C, W-135 and Y) and will replace the current vaccine which guards only against the C strain. One-year-old children who are immunized against IMD will continue to receive the previous vaccine because Menactra is only approved for use in Canada in children two years of age and older.

IMD is most common in young children and youth and can lead to serious infections of the blood, lining of the brain and the spinal cord. It can cause permanent disability including deafness, neurological damage and loss of limbs.

"This new vaccine will ensure that children in the province receive the best possible protection against this deadly disease," says David Williams, Ontario's acting chief medical officer of health.

Menactra has been available in Ontario since 2007 to people with high-risk medical conditions and for close contacts of a case of IMD.

Health Canada

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