A MENINGOCOCCAL vaccine covering all five common strains of the deadly disease could soon be available in Australia.
Research demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of a combination Men ABCWY vaccine was conducted by the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, alongside national and international collaborators.
They found the combination vaccine to be highly effective in providing universal protection against the rare but serious disease.
The introduction of the Men ACWY vaccine to the National Immunisation Program (NIP) in 2018 saw a significant reduction in cases caused by the W and Y strains, and the B variant has become the most common cause of meningococcal in Australia, according to paediatrics professor Peter Richmond, Head of the Vaccine Trials Group at the Wesfarmers Centre.
"There is no single vaccine available that covers the five common strains - A, B, C, W and Y - and while meningococcal B vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in children and young adults, the low incidence of the disease means it hasn't been considered cost-effective for inclusion on the NIP," Professor Richmond said.
"Parents wanting full protection against all five strains of disease must purchase a separate Men B vaccine privately at a significant cost of at least $100 per dose, with each child needing two or three doses depending on age of vaccination - something that may be out of reach for many families.
"Thanks to the success of this research, the combination vaccine was recently approved by the FDA for use in the US for older children and young adults aged 10 through to 25 years, and we hope to see it licensed in Australia in the near future," Professor Richmond said.
The research is published HERE. KB
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