Media release – Meningitis Centre Australia, 14 March 2024
This Election can B the change for Tassy!
The Meningitis Centre Australia is calling on the Tasmanian State Government to include the Meningitis B vaccine on their State Immunisation Plan.
The Meningococcal B strain is the most common cause of illness, disability, and death of all strains in Australia, and currently, unlike other states, Tasmania does not fund this vaccine under their State Immunisation Plan.
In the last 10 years, Tasmania has had over 25 cases of Meningococcal.
Recently, South Australia and Queensland made the decision to protect their babies and teens by placing the Meningococcal B vaccination onto their State Immunisation Plans, but Tasmania is still waiting. This topic has been discussed for years, and Tasmanians are ready to see an election promise – it’s time!
This election, we’re asking the support from the Tasmanian media to ensure this life saving vaccine is made available to save lives and disability in Tasmania.
Tasmania is close to our hearts here at Meningitis Centre Australia. Our CEO, Karen Quick is a proud Tassy girl who strongly advocates that, “Our system for making vaccines available nationally under the National Immunisation Plan (NIP) is slow and undervalues the benefits of prevention, meaning that Meningococcal B is only available to some, not all, at high risk.”
This system is currently being reviewed and will take years, so it’s fantastic that some state governments are understanding this and following the 2014 ATAGI (Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) advice for all infants and adolescents to be given the Meningococcal B vaccination.
“Queensland recently did the maths and worked out they would save more money than the cost of the vaccination itself – it’s a preventative measure that will save the taxpayer money in the long term. There is no reason Tasmania cannot be proactive like Queensland.”
While Meningococcal ACWY is on the national immunisation plan, the Meningococcal B vaccination is only available to Indigenous and some immune compromised children. Parents of babies and adolescents must pay for this themselves, costing parents up to $200 for each dose, including the GP fees. Babies require 3 doses and teens 2 doses. This is an extra expense that Tasmanian parents should not have to pay – in the current economic environment most parents cannot afford this life saving vaccine. Getting the vaccine should not be dependent on income or postcode, it should be available to all.
“There is no reason that Tasmania can’t do the same right now!”
“If a baby or adolescent is lucky enough to survive Meningococcal B – it’s likely they will develop lifelong physical and mental disabilities, and this affects the whole Tasmanian community. The average cost per Meningococcal survivor is well over $10 million dollars in their lifetime. The cost to the Tasmanian government is only around 1 million dollars per annum, so this vaccine is lifesaving and cost effective.
The Tasmanian can do this – the government can make this decision right here, right now, just as Queensland and South Australia have done. There are no legislative procedures needed, our children can be protected from death and disability from this dreadful vaccine preventable disease, there is no excuse anymore, Tasmania can and should just do it!”
