South Otago braced for large scale vaccination

11.45am

South Otago is today preparing for the biggest immunisation programme in recent history after an outbreak of the potentially fatal meningitis disease in Balclutha.

About 200 South Otago High School parents were last night told by health officials all 429 students and 40 staff at the school would be vaccinated.

Several students -- including several who attended a school ball, have contracted to the disease. Three are still in hospital.

Public Health South medical officer of health John Holmes said they needed to protect everyone at the school after the outbreak which has seen six reported cases so far.

Senior pupils were given antibiotics yesterday and third and fourth formers receive the vaccine today.

Health officials will be back at the school on Thursday to finish vaccinating the rest of the school. More vaccine from Australia and Belgium is expected to arrive in Dunedin this morning.

Earlier this year the Government said it would spend $100 million over five years fighting New Zealand's meningitis epidemic. The disease claimed 26 lives last year.

United States company Chiron has been contracted to develop and deliver a vaccine to immunise more than one million people aged under 20 over five years.

Last year, a person died every two weeks on average from meningitis, with 660 cases reported all up.

With the vaccine, about 3860 cases would be avoided in the 10 years after its introduction.

Yesterday, 96 out of 335 students at Balclutha's Rosebank Primary School and 73 South Otago High School pupils were reported absent from school.

Some parents kept their children away because they were worried about possible infection. No new cases were reported today as health officials distributed more antibiotics to pupils.

Rosebank school parents will meet health officials at the school hall tonight.

The meningococcal bacteria is spread by close contact with saliva, including sharing drinks, cigarettes and food or kissing.

- NZPA