Dinny McGinley
Question:104 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress to date of the meningitis C immunisation programme. [9902/01]
Written Answers. - Vaccination Programme.
On 20 March I announced the commencement of phase 2 of the national immunisation programme aimed at the prevention of group C meningitis. Phase 1 of this campaign was launched by me on 20 October 2000.
Phase 2 will target primary school children as a priority. The vaccine will be administered free of charge in schools by health board vaccination teams or by general practitioners in some areas.
Phase 1 of the campaign was aimed at those at greatest risk of contracting the disease; children under five years of age and young persons aged 15 to 18 years. This phase of the campaign is now almost complete and preliminary uptake information available from health boards is positive.
This success is reflected in data provided by the National Disease Surveillance Centre which indicate a significant reduction in group C meningococcal disease notifications over the past five months since the launch of the campaign. In the period October 2000 to February 2001 37 cases of group C meningitis were reported compared with 84 cases over the same period in the previous year. This represents a 56% reduction which is very significant and highlights the importance and success of the campaign to date. In the same period there has also been a 24% reduction in the number of group B cases. The more marked reduction in group C is attributable to the vaccine and it is gratifying to see a reduction in cases at this early stage of the campaign. The reduction in group B cases may in part be due to the reduction in flu like illness this winter as influenza is a known risk factor for meningococcal disease.
Anyone targeted by phase 1 of the programme but who has not been immunised should contact their general practitioner or student health representative immediately in order to avail of the free vaccine. Young persons aged 19 to 22 years and post-primary school students aged 12 to 14 years will be targeted when the current phase 2 is completed.
This vaccine has been incorporated into the primary childhood immunisation programme and all children will receive the vaccine free in addition to the existing vaccines which are administered at two, four and six months of age.
Meningitis C is a very serious disease and a public health hazard. It is a devastating condition with a significant mortality rate. It can also cause long-term disabilities in the form of developmental delay, hearing loss and neurological damage. I encourage all parents to have their children immunised against this disease.