News

Nationwide meningococcal vaccination campaign launched

May 11, 2018 5:10 am

The nationwide Meningococcal vaccination campaign was launched in Suva today with the aim of responding to the recent outbreak.

The Ministry of Health has acquired over one hundred and twenty-four thousand doses of vaccine for the first phase of the program.

The vaccinating will be rolled out from Monday.

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World Health Organization Pacific Technical Support Officer, Dr Wendy Snowdon, says it’s important that individuals get vaccinated.

“For meningococcal disease this is particularly important as we know that not everyone who has bacteria will get the disease. Approximately 10-25 percent of the general population will carry the bacteria at the back of their nose and mouth from time to time but will not have any symptoms. This is why for Fiji to have a successful mass immunization campaign it needs as many children and adolescents between the ages of 1 and 19 years to get vaccinated.”

More than 333,000 children between the ages of 1 and nineteen will be vaccinated during the campaign.

Another batch of 200,000 doses of vaccine is being procured and expected to arrive into the country soon.