KEY POINTS:
Lab tests have confirmed four cases of meningococcal disease in five Wellington children suspected of catching the killer bug.
Two of the children had been fully vaccinated against the disease and one had received partial vaccination. All were infected with the epidemic strain of the disease, which is specifically targeted by the MeNZB vaccine.
Regional Public Health Medical Officer of Health Margot McLean said though the infections were disappointing, vaccine breakthrough cases can occur and no vaccine was 100 per cent effective.
The last confirmed case of meningococcal disease caused by the epidemic strain in a fully vaccinated child in the Wellington region was in 2005.
Two further cases of meningococcal disease had been confirmed in the Wellington region, both in older adults.
The six confirmed cases in July brought the total cases in the greater Wellington region so far this year up to 10, six of them children or young people aged under 20.
- NZPA
