The parents of a young man who died of a rare form of meningitis are speaking out in hopes that other families can be spared their loss.
Mabel and CK Chan, whose son Leo died in January, said people are not aware of the risks and do not know about vaccines that are available to prevent the disease. The couple will be speaking at a Coquitlam church this weekend in an effort to let parents know what they can do to prevent meningitis in their children.
"We only found out after the fact, and that's too late for our son," Mabel said. "We don't want this to happen to another family."
The Chan family is also hoping the province will consider revising its immunization program to include what is called Menactra, also known as MCV4, a vaccination that was approved by Health Canada in 2006 that can prevent the A, C, Y and W-135 strain meningitis.
The couple will be speaking at the Westwood Alliance Church (3129 Ozada Ave.) on Saturday, August 18 between 10 and 11 a.m. For more information go to www.meningitisbc.org.
