Two women are being treated for meningococcal B in the Royal Hobart Hospital
Mark Veitch
We normally have between one and five cases of meningococcal disease a year in Tasmania. They don't occur, they can occur randomly through the year. They tend to happen a little bit more often during winter and spring. So it's not surprising that we would have two within a week or so of each other. Our team has looked carefully into each case and there's not found any links between the social or other connections of the people.
Leon Compton
What do Tasmanians need to know to keep themselves as safe as possible, Mark?
Mark Veitch
They need to know that meningococcal disease does occur and that it's rare and that people with meningococcal disease are obviously sick. They will have significant fevers, aches and pains. They'll be really quite unwell. It's worse than a typical cough or cold or flu and it's very important that they get urgent medical care if they do that. The public also needs to know that there's a way of preventing meningococcal disease. There are two vaccines available, one against ACW and Y strains and that's given routinely at age 12 months and in early high school but people of other ages can purchase it. Group B disease is prevented by a specific vaccine and the vaccine for that is available. It is available for the whole population aged over six weeks but it's free for the people at the highest risk of B disease which are Aboriginal Tasmanians and Australians and people with medical conditions that affect their immunity. But anybody who's got concerns can talk to their GP or their pharmacist about meningococcal vaccines.
Leon Compton
And it's not cheap, right? If you're trying to get that and you're not one of those cohorts who gets it subsidised, it's not a cheap vaccination, meningococcal B?
Mark Veitch
It's not Leon, it's around $100 a dose and you need between one dose for the ACWY vaccine for people outside the NIP eligible age group but you need between either two or three doses depending on your age for the B group vaccine.
Leon Compton
And just the main symptoms, briefly?
Mark Veitch
The main symptoms are that people are really sick. This is someone who is well in the morning and is obviously sicker than they've probably ever been before. They have a fever, severe aches and pains, a headache, they may have a rash. In a baby, these symptoms may not be so obvious. They may just be not eating so well, they may be a bit blotchy or floppy but people would notice that their baby is distinctly unwell and I know that most people would seek urgent medical care when those sort of arise.
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