KEY POINTS:
Stocks of Meningococcal B vaccine have run out, leaving some children at a slightly higher risk of contracting the deadly disease.
A further shipment is due to arrive today, but quality control tests will delay its distribution until next week.
The delay is being blamed on the producers, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, shifting operations to a new site.
Nikki Turner from the Immunisation Advisory Centre said many GPs still have supplies, but some have run out which will delay immunisation for their patients by a couple of weeks.
She said there is a small risk to the children who face delays.
The government's large-scale and controversial $200 million meningococcal vaccination campaign ended as intended in June 2006.
Since then under five-year-olds and a catch-up programme operated for five to 19-year-olds for the rest of 2006.
Ministry of Health spokesman Peter Abernethy said there has been a shortage of the vaccine since the end of August and ministry officials have been talking to general practitioners about it.
It was possible that vaccinations had been delayed for a few people but new stocks were due to arrive today.
In 2001, 205 cases of meningococcal disease were recorded for every 100,000 babies under the age of one. By last year, this rate had dropped to just 60 cases per 100,000.
Deaths due to the epidemic strain targeted by the vaccine have also fallen from about eight a year to an average of 2.3 deaths each year from 2004 to 2006. One fully vaccinated child has died from the epidemic strain.
The national campaign has seen 80 per cent of those under 20 vaccinated against the B strain of the disease, which started to escalate in New Zealand in the early 1990s.
- NEWSTALK ZB, NZPA
