Clinicians at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital are supporting the Meningitis Centre in their efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of this disease and encourage funding of a pneumococcal vaccine for all infants under 2 years of age. Meningitis is an inflammation of the outer covering of the brain and spinal cord. It is a serious condition with bacterial meningitis resulting in severe outcomes with a fatality rate of between 5-20%.

The majority of meningitis cases in Australia are caused by the pneumococcal and meningococcal germs. In 2003 the National Immunisation Program began funding a vaccine to protect children between 12 months and 20 years of age against meningococcal C.

The focus of Meningitis Week 2003 is on pneumococcal disease, which is an equally life threatening disease but far more prevalent among infants than meningococcal. The pneumococcal germ causes a number of infections ranging from ear infections and pneumonia to life-threatening meningitis.

A vaccine is now available to help protect children against pneumococcal disease. Because the disease affects babies and toddlers, the vaccine needs to be given as early as possible at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Infants who commence this vaccine at one year of age require only two doses, and one dose is required if commenced at 18 months. However, because the majority of severe cases are seen as infants it is best to protect babies as early as possible.

The effects of pneumococcal meningitis in infants can be extreme.

• About 5-10% of infants die.
• Children who survive can have brain damage that affects their ability to learn and develop.
• Many have long term intellectual disabilities.
• Many have fits.
• Many have deafness.
• Over 20% will have severe long term problems.
• A large percentage will have minor long term effects which include significant behavioural problems.
• Children who survive pneumococcal meningitis are about twice as likely to suffer severe long-term problems than those who survive the meningococcal meningitis.

The conjugate pnuemococcal vaccine has been available in Australia since December 2000. It offers excellent protection against seven of the common types of the sinister pneumococcal disease. However a lack of awareness, as well as the high cost of the vaccine, prevents many families from accessing it. Each dose of pneumococcal vaccine ranges in price from $110 to $185.

Consider:

• Since the introduction of Hib vaccine in Australia in 1993, meningitis due to the Hib germ is almost eradicated.
• The meningococcal vaccine is now available and will prevent about half of the meningitis cases due to meningococcal disease.
• The pnuemococcal germ has now assumed the place as the commonest form of meningitis in children under 5 in Australia.

Doctors at Royal Children’s Hospital support the call for drug companies to lower the price of the vaccine and for government to fund the vaccine to protect babies in the community from this terrible disease.

RCH vaccine expert Dr Jenny Royle is available for interview or comment.

This issue appeared on ABC’s 7.30 Report on Tuesday 17th June 2003.