Mother pleads for meningococcal B vaccine to be part of WA's free immunisation program

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Meningococcal B infections are on the rise in Australia - with 100 cases recorded last year. While a vaccine for the deadly disease is available, only two states offer it to all babies and teenagers.

Transcript

00:00 Do you want strawberries?

00:04 Yeah.

00:06 Aliana was born in 2015, three years before babies and teenagers were routinely vaccinated

00:12 for meningococcal strains A, C, W and Y.

00:16 But even if she had been vaccinated, it wouldn't have helped, because at 13 weeks old, Aliana

00:22 contracted meningococcal B.

00:24 She had a very big fight for life.

00:28 Unfortunately, Aliana, all she knew was hospital from 13 weeks old.

00:33 A vaccination for the B strain of meningococcal isn't on the national vaccine schedule, although

00:38 it was recommended by the federal vaccine advisory body, ATAGI, back in 2014.

00:44 The South Australian Government went ahead and added it to their schedule in 2018, as

00:48 did Queensland in 2023.

00:51 But the rest of the country is yet to catch up, and cases are on the rise.

00:55 In 2023, we saw 10% more cases than the year prior.

00:59 There were 112 cases in Australia last year, which doesn't seem like a lot.

01:05 But one in 10 people who contract the disease will die, and a quarter will end up with a

01:10 permanent disability, like Aliana.

01:14 There's been the acquired brain injury.

01:20 I guess the neurodiversity struggles that come from it, the muscle struggles, the emotional

01:30 disturbances.

01:31 There can be other debilitating outcomes, loss of limbs, hearing, brain damage, epilepsy,

01:38 scarring and psychological trauma.

01:40 Parents can elect to get the B strain vaccine, but it's costly.

01:45 For some families, this can be $600 upwards, and in today's economic environment, most

01:51 people just can't afford it.

01:52 Johanna says for the government, it's a small price to pay.

01:56 Knowing what a horrible disease it is, and the catastrophic consequences that this disease

02:03 can have to people.

02:04 If you consider it's $10 million on average per disability, you're one in four end up

02:10 with a permanent disability, you're one in 10 with a death.

02:13 Do the maths, just like Queensland did last year, they save a lot of money.

02:18 The Northern Territory Government is considering adding the vaccine.

02:22 New South Wales wants the Federal Government to add it to the national program, while Victoria,

02:27 Tasmania and Western Australia say due to low case numbers, they follow health advice

02:32 regarding expansion of the vaccination program in their states.

02:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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