There have been twelve cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) type Y reported since June 2022 in Eastern Virginia. Three patients have died from complications associated with the disease.

Dr Amesh Adalja, Infectious diseases specialist with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Health Security says, “it’s important to recognize that these types of outbreaks are vaccine-preventable.” The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has not identified a common risk factor in the latest outbreak but they are residents of Hampton Roads and most are Black adults between the ages of 30 and 60.

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