As of the 1st of April, the start of a 4-year federal government funded campaign commenced to immunise children against A, C, W & Y strains of invasive meningococcal bacteria. This follows the strong and steady increase of meningococcal cases in Australia over the last few years, from 182 reported cases in 2015, 252 cases in 2016, to 382 cases in 2017.
In the Minister of Health’s media release from Sept 2018, students aged 14 to 16 will receive the vaccine through a school-based program, while ‘adolescents aged 15 to 19 years of age, who have not already received the vaccine in school, will be able to receive the vaccine through an ongoing GP based catch up program.’