Younger babies can get vaccine protection

Babies as young as six weeks old are now eligible for the meningitis vaccine, the Independent Safety Monitoring Board said today.

The board said in a statement it has no safety concerns about the MeNZB vaccine, designed to protect children from the epidemic strain of meningococcal B disease.

It has reviewed data on the first 4600 doses administered to babies from six weeks to six months old in the Auckland region.

Vaccines are now available for anyone aged six weeks up to 20 years, whereas the minimum age previously was six months.

Programme director Jane O'Hallahan said she welcomed the recommendation because it let doctors and nurses offer protection to those most likely to contract the disease.

"The more of these babies we can protect from this disease the better," Dr O'Hallahan said.

"The recommendation is yet another endorsement for the safety of this vaccine, which was developed to combat the specific strain of group B meningococcal disease that has caused 76 per cent of the meningococcal disease cases in the current epidemic."

About 700,000 doses of the vaccine have been given. Since 1991, meningococcal disease has killed 229 people and affected more than 5700 in New Zealand, leaving many survivors with amputated limbs and other injuries.

The vaccine was available from Hutt Valley northwards in the North Island. Vaccinations begin in June in the South Island.

- NZPA