Senior NSW school students to receive free vaccine from 'deadly' meningococcal strain
Every year 11 and 12 student in New South Wales will be offered a free meningococcal vaccination to combat a deadly new strain that threatens to infiltrate the country.
The aggressive W strain program is set to target students aged 17 and 18 this year, as immunisation experts advise that this age group is particularly at risk because of their physical closeness with peers.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said that the $9 million vaccination program, due to start in term two, will see 180,000 vulnerable teenagers in all high schools eligible to be vaccinated.
“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,” Mr Hazzard said in a statement on Monday .
The "hypervirulent" new strain put NSW hospitals and general practitioners on high alert after overtaking the C and B strains as the most prevalent in Australia, News Corp reported.
Those who fit the age description but no longer attend a NSW high school will still be eligible for the lifesaving vaccine from their local GP later in the year.
Cases of the deadly new strain have nearly tripled in the last couple of years with 26 individual cases recorded and at least two deaths in NSW alone in 2016.
The announcement follows a similar decision made by the Western Australian government to provide vaccinations for more than 150,000 students over the three-year program.
"The advice we've had is that it would be preferable for this vaccination campaign to be undertaken on a national basis," WA Health Minister John Day said last week.
"We have been in discussions with the Commonwealth ... the issue is still under consideration.
"We are starting on a state-wide basis, we do hope that other states and the Commonwealth ultimately will adopt the same strategy, but we have made this decision in Western Australia to start it off and to go alone, and we hope that others will follow."
