Tuesday, 3 October 2023

Meningococcal B vaccination

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (17:35): (467) The action I am seeking from the Minister for Health is for meningococcal B vaccine to be funded by the state for infants and teens. Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. Around 10 per cent of the population carry it in their nose and throat without harm; however, occasionally it invades the body, causing severe disease. The most common diseases are meningitis and septicaemia. Five to 10 per cent of people with invasive meningococcal disease die even with prompt treatment. At least 20 per cent of those who survive are left with significant ongoing impairments, including brain damage, hearing loss, epilepsy, damage to vital organs and loss of limbs. Those at highest risk are babies under 12 months, teens and young adults and the elderly.

Globally meningococcal disease remains a major public health challenge, including in Australia, and it is personal for me. My sister had meningococcal meningitis as a baby. I was 10, and the memory of this terrifying time for our family still brings back strong emotions. She was one of the lucky ones, surviving without significant sequelae. Many others tragically do not. Recently I met Abby McGrath, a Ballarat mum who lost her beautiful 19-year-old daughter Emma-Kate in 2017 to meningococcal sepsis. Emma, a bright, compassionate young woman, was studying nursing paramedicine at the Australian Catholic University before her life was cut short over a 15-hour illness. Abby’s grief is bottomless; however, she bravely continues to fight to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

The thing is it is readily preventable. There are several strains of meningococcus, the most common in Australia being B and W. There is a vaccine for strains ACWY and one for strain B; ACWY is on the nationally funded immunisation schedule, but meningococcal B vaccine is not. This is despite ATAGI recommending it for infants and young adults. Other states, including Victoria and recently Queensland, decided to fund meningococcal B vaccine themselves. This year Victoria’s former chief health officer Brett Sutton also recommended that families vaccinate their children against meningococcal B; however, the cost to families to fully vaccinate a Victorian baby or teen is hundreds of dollars.

As a GP this was always a hard sell, creating awful guilt for parents unable to afford it. I want to recognise Ms Crozier for her recent advocacy to the government about this important issue. There is clearly support across the chamber for Victoria’s immunisation schedule to include the meningococcal B vaccine, and I urge the minister to fund it so no other families have to go through what Emma’s has.