Meningitis Foundation Canada (formerly Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada) is the first national charitable foundation in Canada dedicated to raising awareness, providing support to families affected by meningitis and raising funds for research. They have developed and are continually upgrading a first class website serving as an important educational tool to raise awareness of the signs, symptoms, various strains of Meningitis and the vaccines available.
The MFC has provided a place for families and for all who are impacted by meningitis, where they can turn to for answers, help and support. It allows people to share their stories and connect with other families who are devastated by their life changing experience. They have created various public awareness pieces, such as the Catriona LeMay Doan….Race Against Time; Amy Purdy…Not All Meningitis is the Same – Not All vaccines are the Same. Keaton’s Story; Give It All; The Portrait; A Time to Protect; as well as articles published in various periodicals. MFC distributes symptoms cards and brochures outlining details of meningitis.
MFC has advocated for inclusion of the meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines in public programs in Ontario. It has successfully raised funds to educate the public and provide financial support for research grants. The MFC has also funded fellowships in vaccinology at Dalhousie and UBC, with fellows at each site becoming full-time professors. One is the leading researcher in Canada on the epidemiology of meningococcal disease.