All high school senior students in NSW are set to get free vaccine against a new killer strain of meningococcal disease that has spread around the country.
Every year 11 and 12 student in NSW will soon be immunised to protect them against the aggressive W strain.
Experts believe teenagers are at risk of contracting meningococcal disease and will more likely spread the deadly disease through social behaviours such as kissing and smoking.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the new school-based vaccination program will protect students against four strains of meningococcal disease “” A, C, W and Y.
The immunisation program will begin in term two and will be open to all students at NSW public, private and catholic schools. Even those aged 17 or 18 who have left school or have missed out on the vaccine in class will be able to have a free jab from their GP later in the year.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard, who was sworn in last week, highlighted the government’s emphasis on protecting young people’s health. “This week I made clear to senior health officials that the NSW government would do whatever possible to protect our young people against meningococcal W and other strains,” he said.
Data showed that meningococcal disease cases have almost tripled in NSW since 2015 with 26 notifications and at least two deaths recorded across the state last year.
With this, NSW hospitals and GPs have been put on high alert for the aggressive W strain, which has overtaken the C and B strains as the most prevalent in Australia.
At present, the only immunisation available to the public for free on the Federal Government’s National Immunisation Program is for the C strain. Cases have since declined in Australia over the past decade.
Another deadly strain of the disease is meningococcal B strain, which already has a vaccine. However, it’s not routinely provided to children nor is it provided for free by the Immunisation Program.
Immunisations for the B strain and the four-in-one ACWY vaccine need to be purchased privately at a cost of more than $100 a dose.
In December last year, the University of Adelaide announced it would provide the vaccination for free to 60,000 South Australian students in years 10, 11 and 12 as part of a state wide study into the impact of immunising large community groups against the disease.
Source: Kidspot.com.au
