Parents have been urged to ensure their children are vaccinated as the nationwide meningococcal vaccination campaign rolls out from today.

Children under the age of nineteen will start receiving vaccination from today.

Health Minister Rosy Akbar has urged parents and guardians to ensure their children are vaccinated from the life-threatening disease.

“Vaccination not only protects individuals from life-threatening diseases but it also offers protection to the community at large. As such it is also important that community members are aware of the proven effectiveness of immunization in saving lives and preventing serious morbidity and mortality.”

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services through its partners have acquired one hundred and twenty-four thousand doses of the vaccine while the remaining two hundred-thousand doses are expected to arrive soon.

Australian High Commission’s Bilateral Counsellor Christina Munzer says they have been working hard to formulate a plan to address the high-risk areas.

“As the Ministry prepares to execute the first phase of the rollout of the meningococcal vaccines campaign, Australia stands prepared to continue its support to the Ministry and its hardworking team to design a longer-term solution to address the burden of meningococcal disease in Fiji.”

More than 333,000 children are expected to be vaccinated over the next few months.