Meningococcal trial risk spelt out

Laboratory workers handling material from meningococcal B bacteria are at high risk of contracting the disease, says a vaccine-trial document.

The release of the document follows a laboratory scientist falling ill with meningococcal disease in April and having to have limbs amputated. But the lab's owner said it was extremely unlikely she caught the bug there.

The trial, before the mass vaccination of under-20s started last July, was to inject the then-experimental vaccine into up to 12 lab workers at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research.

An information page for potential participants said lab workers at ESR handling bacteria responsible for New Zealand's now-14-year-old meningococcal B epidemic had an estimated 500 times greater risk than other people of the same age of catching the disease.

The University of Auckland ran the trial for Chiron, maker of New Zealand's MeNZB vaccine, and the Health Ministry.

Lead researcher Stewart Reid could not be contacted yesterday.

Researcher Ron Law obtained the document under the Official Information Act.

He dismissed the estimate of a 500-fold increased risk, saying the trial application overstated the risk to justify the experiment.