Meningococcal disease on the rise in Northland

Reported cases of meningococcal disease in Northland were nearly double the national rate last year.

Northland had 37 notifications of meningococcal disease in 2003 - the equivalent of 26.4 cases per 100,000 people. Seventy per cent of cases were found in children under 10, and 84 per cent were Maori.

However, a vaccine expected this year could stem the tide of the epidemic, said Northland medical officer Jonathan Jarman. The vaccine is expected to herald a return to pre-1991 levels when about one case per year was reported.