Victoria’s Meningococcal B Vaccine Initiative
The Victorian government has announced a significant step in its efforts to combat meningococcal disease by funding free meningococcal B vaccines for teenagers. This decision has sparked a mix of emotions among families who have lost loved ones to the deadly infection. The state has allocated $9 million to include the B strain in the existing meningococcal A, C, W, and Y vaccines available for Year 10 students under the National Immunisation Program.
Meningococcal B is a highly contagious bacterial infection that can lead to severe illness or death within as little as 24 hours. According to data from the Australian Meningococcal Surveillance Programme, it is now the dominant form of meningococcal disease in Australia, responsible for around 80 per cent of cases.
Other Australian states and territories, including Queensland, South Australia, and the Northern Territory, already offer free meningococcal B vaccines for teenagers and infants. Tasmania will also follow suit from July this year. With Victoria’s new initiative, New South Wales and Western Australia remain the only jurisdictions yet to provide state-funded access to the vaccine.
Meningococcal B vaccines are available via private prescription for infants and teenagers, but they require multiple doses at a cost of approximately $140 per jab. While the Victorian announcement is seen as a positive development, it has faced criticism for its limited scope. The $9 million commitment is currently funded for just one year, and unlike programs in South Australia and Queensland, it does not yet include infants, who are among the most at-risk demographics.
Personal Stories and Advocacy
Melbourne mother Norliah Syer-Peterson has been a passionate advocate for the meningococcal B vaccine since her 16-year-old son, Levi, died last September. Levi was a healthy Year 10 student who went from having gastro-like symptoms in the morning to being gone within 12 hours. In December, Syer-Peterson presented a petition with over 41,000 signatures to parliament, calling for the government to fund the meningococcal B vaccine.
Syer-Peterson expressed relief that other teenagers might now be spared, even though it was too late for her son. She emphasized that the legacy of her “beautiful, caring, fun-loving, sporty, funny, and kind-hearted boy” would continue through the Victorian Government’s decision. However, she stressed the ongoing need for free vaccines for infants in Victoria and vowed to continue campaigning for the vaccine to be funded in all states.
National Challenges and Calls for Action
The push for a national solution hit a major roadblock in March when the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) rejected a proposal to include the B strain vaccine on the National Immunisation Program for all infants and teens. While the PBAC acknowledged the clinical need and effectiveness of the vaccine, it maintained that the evidence did not justify the cost of a nationwide rollout, describing the disease as catastrophic but rare.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is now urging the NSW Government to urgently fund meningococcal B (MenB) vaccines as part of its immunisation program. RACGP NSW Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman warned that children and young people are being put at unnecessary risk. “Vaccination saves lives,” she said. “Patients in New South Wales deserve a strong response, as we’ve seen in Queensland, South Australia, the NT, and recently, Victoria. We’ve delayed free MenB vaccination for too long already.”
A Mother’s Fight for Change
New South Wales mum Stacey Chater lost her son Brayden to a meningococcal B infection in November 2022. Brayden was a fit 23-year-old from Dapto who “lit up a room,” but his life was cut short when he arrived at Wollongong Hospital already brain-dead from the infection. Chater has spent three years campaigning for NSW Health Minister Ryan Park to fund the B strain vaccine, but she said her pleas had fallen on deaf ears.
“It’s so infuriating,” she said. “I just feel like I’m being ignored and it doesn’t make sense to me. It’s really a no-brainer.” Despite meeting with the minister and delivering thousands of signed letters to his office, Chater said there had been no progress in NSW. “New South Wales is looked upon as probably the leading state of Australia, so it’s very, very disappointing.”
Chater said her message for Park was simple: “Get on board, save our kids lives and just come in line with the rest of Australia.” A NSW Health spokesperson said the rate of invasive meningococcal disease remained low. “NSW Health continues to closely monitor the pattern of meningococcal B disease in NSW and respond based on the best available evidence, and emerging program developments in other jurisdictions,” the spokesperson said.
People who are at increased risk because they have certain medical conditions, as well as Aboriginal babies, are eligible for free meningococcal B vaccines under the National Immunisation Program.
