Update:
Meningitis experts have expressed their extreme disappointment at a decision by the Pharamceutical Advisory Committee to reject the new Meningococcal B vaccine for the national immunisation plan.
The two main strains of meningococcal disease in Australia are the B and C strains. The National Immunisation Program includes a vaccine for the meningococcal C strain but not for the B strain.
Bruce Langoulant Chairman of the Meningitis Centre Australia told Mamamia: “The vaccine which is available by prescription remains out of reach for the majority of vulnerable Australians. It costs over $500 for a baby aged up to 12 months.”
He vowed to continue fighting to have this vaccine including on the NIP.
“Prevention by vaccination has been the key to the successful fight against HiB, Meningococcal C and Pneumococcal meningitis,” he said.
“We hope we will continue to have the support of our Australian political leaders and see this new meningococcal B vaccine on the NIP in the not too distant future.”
Previously, Mamamia wrote:
Little Ryder Manulat didn’t look ill on Tuesday night.
But by Wednesday morning, he had woken up with a rash of pinprick spots all over his body.
By 10am, Ryder had been administered antibiotics and was on life support. And by 2pm that same day, the two-year-old boy with the adorable cheeky grin, was dead.
NSW-born Ryder – who had Down syndrome and was living with heart complications as well – died of the lesser-known B strain of Meningococcal. Sadly, little boy’s death probably could have been prevented — but the vaccine which guards against B strain Meningococcal isn’t included in the National Immunisation Schedule. Ryder’s parents say they didn’t even know the vaccine was available.
“We did everything for Ryder, he was vaccinated for the C strain and he wasn’t vaccinated for the B strain because we weren’t aware it was available until yesterday,” Ryder’s mother told the Daily Telegraph. “With his condition we would have vaccinated for B strain if we’d known,” Ms Manulat said.
While the National Immunisation Scheme currently covers a C strain vaccination, which is provided to all children at no cost, the B strain vaccine isn’t funded by the schedule and must be privately purchased for around $125 per dose. But Ms Manulat said the vaccine, which has only been available in Australia since 5 March, would have been considered by her family as worth the cost.
“We were advised that the B strain vaccine had only just become available and three shots were $150, it is obviously something we would have done for Ryder had we known,” she told the Newcastle Herald.
Chair of the Council of General Practice of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Brian Morton, told Mamamia that the strain of Menincogoccal that killed Ryder was both relatively common and deadly.
“The B-strain of meningococcal disease is the commonest, and the experts say it accounts for about 90 per cent of Meningococcal cases in Australia,” he said.
“It is a high-risk disease, and if it’s not picked up early and treated early the consequences can be devastating,” he said.
Dr Morton said the vaccine’s recent arrival in Australia was likely a reason why it wasn’t yet available on the children’s vaccination schedule.
He said the process for getting a vaccine onto that schedule begins with expert groups examining the efficacy and safety of a particular vaccine, then recommending it to government.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), Australia’s leading advisory body on immunisation matters, has now kicked that process off – by recommended the meningococcal B vaccine for those at higher disease risk, including infants and young children.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee will now consider the inclusion of the vaccine on the National Immunisation Program at its meeting next month, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Ryder’s parents live in hope that authorities go ahead with the move.
“The Australian Pharmaceutical Board are meeting next month to look at adding the Meningococcal B vaccine to the PBS. This will mean all children will be vaccinated against this horrid disease, they wrote on the Facebook page, Upside Down.
“We all knew Ryder would leave a huge footprint on this world.”
Until the vaccine becomes publicly-funded, Dr Morton said: “If people can afford to buy (the vaccine privately), then they maybe should consider it for their kids.”
There have been 11 cases of B strain Meningococcal disease recorded this year.
The Australian Medical Association currently recommends that infants aged less than six months receive three primary doses of 4CMenB, plus a booster dose at twelve months old. Fewer doses are required for older age groups. Fore more informationon Meningococcal, see the Meningococcal Australia website here. Please share this post and help us raise awareness of this vaccine, so that more parents can ensure it is administered to their children.
Top Comments
11 cases, 11 weren't fatal. this poor little guy was compromised by heart conditions etc.
Please just keep things in perspective and trust your maternal instincts.
More kids are killed by 4WDs in driveways.
My point was that many anti-vax parents are choosing not to vax because they feel there are too many vaccinations being pumped into their small babies. Some doctors feel this way too. Whether or not this vaccine would prevent a few deaths, I think careful consideration is more important because if by adding another vaccine, that may save 11 children, many many more are going unvaccinated because of frightened parents then what has been achieved?
I think instead of just spouting out the research about vaccines not causing autism, why don't they put some research out there to show honest facts and figures about the effects of so many vaccines on small children. HONEST figures that address the issue of long term affects and adverse reactions etc. If parents saw the small numbers of such reactions, they might not hesitate to vaccinate. It is no use, as this site is famous for, bullying and abusing anti-vaxxing parents because they will just bunker down even more. Address their real concerns, stop blabbing on about anti-vax organisations and their spiel, which most anti-vax parents have probably never even heard of. Not vaccinating is an extension of the going green/organic/chemical free way of raising children. Yes, it is causing the return of terrible diseases so talk to these parents without the abuse because it just isn't working. Vaccines need to be made to look healthy again, not like poison being injected into babies by profit-mongering pharma companies.
The "too many too soon" concern has been investigated by virologists, infectious disease specialists, epidemiologists. A baby is in contact with millions of germs and viruses from the minute it leaves the womb. The few attenuated, weakened or dead viruses and antigens in vaccines are not going to overpower the immune system. the other ingredients are is such small doses the body expels them without harm.
Epidemiologists have followed the long term effects. The only significant difference between vaxed and non vaxed populations is that the non vaxed ones are more likely to get vaccine preventable disease.
Pharma draws about 2% of profit from vaccines. The biggest profits come from medications that have to be taken every day for the rest of your life, not one that requires one injection and maybe a booster every 10 years.
There are many excellent resources that explain this one of my favourites is the Philedelphia Children's Hospital site.
I think people get really frustrated because so many thousands of dedicated, smart, honest people have spent so long inventing life saving vaccines and yet people on the internet say they are trying to pump poison into babies. It makes the rest of us scared.
I agree with a lot of what you said- the language needs to change because it isn't working. As an aside, as a teacher, nanny and mother I have never heard of babies and small children having adverse reactions. I think this aspect of the debate is grossly exaggerated.
The problem is that nothing will satisfy a number of anti vax parents.
There are stats on the drop of vaccine preventable diseases.
Every vaccine given is tracked by it's batch number and if/when there is an adverse reaction, it must be reported and those reports are available from public departments.
As you've pointed out, there is plenty of research into why vaccines (MMR in particular) don't cause autism.
I have to wonder what sort of facts and figures you're after.