The officials of Alberta Health Services are on their way to stop the spreading of the potentially deadly virus.

The provisional government has announced that from Monday it will start the vaccination procedure for Grade 9 students in Alberta. This will protect the young ones from the disease.

Dr. Gerry Predy, senior medical officer of health for AHS, said that he’s ecstatic to see the program in place.

“I think it’s something we’ve been working on for a while, so it’s great to see it being launched now”, he said.

This meningitis immunization will cost the state around $2 million.

The virus Meningococcal bacterium can infect the body in two areas. One part is the lining of the brain and the other is the spinal cord. These bacteria are often found in nose and throat. This can spread directly from people through sharing food, drinks, lip balm, water bottles. This can also spread from kissing.

The symptoms usually present themselves after two to ten days of infection.

The symptoms are just like normal illness starting from respiratory infection, mild fever, headache, and not feeling well. However, it progresses very rapidly to form more serious headaches, and stiff neck. People can also get purple rash in their skin.

It is very important to be vaccinated so that people does not face the complications afterward.