Meningococcal disease
Meningococcal disease is an uncommon but very serious infection that occurs when the meningococcal bacteria ‘invades’ the body from the throat or nose. It usually appears as meningitis or sepsis. You can find more information on Meningococcal disease, including what symptoms to look out for on the Immunise Australia website.
Outbreak in Central Australia
There is currently an outbreak of Meningococcal W (MenW) in Central Australia affecting parts of the Northern Territory (NT), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA) and Western Australia (WA).
This outbreak is mostly affecting young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote Central Australian communities.
In response to this outbreak, four states and territories have started a meningococcal ACWY vaccination program for individuals in affected communities. This vaccine protects against meningococcal types A, C, W and Y. The vaccination program will be run by each state and is time limited.
Further information on what each state is doing can be found in the links below:
Meningococcal disease in Australia
Overall, the national incidence of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Australia is low. From 2003 to 2013, there was a decrease in the number of IMD notifications reported in Australia, following the introduction, in 2003, of the meningococcal C (MenC) vaccine onto the National Immunisation Program (NIP). However, since 2014 notifications of IMD have increased, with numbers during 2017 the highest since 2006. The four most common meningococcal types in Australia are B, C, W and Y. There are vaccines available to protect against these types in Australia.
In response to the rise in the number of MenW cases, six states have started time limited, state-based, meningococcal ACWY vaccination programs which commenced in 2017 for NSW, QLD, TAS, VIC and WA and in 2018 for the ACT. This vaccine will protect against meningococcal types A, C, W and Y. The programs target adolescents aged 15-19 years, with NSW targeting 17-18 year olds.
More information on what each state is doing, and if you are eligible for a free vaccination, can be found in the links below:
Notifications and rates of IMD, Australia, 2002 to 2017, by type
Notes:
- #Data from the NNDSS with a diagnosis date up until of 31 December 2017.
- *NG includes where meningococcal isolates could not be identified (‘not groupable’), other isolates not grouped and where serogroup was not known.
Meningococcal W Disease - Information
More information / useful links
Invasive Meningococcal W Disease National Surveillance Reports
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
