Free meningococcal vaccines for Tassie kids

THE Tasmanian government has announced that people under 21 years old will have access to free meningococcal vaccines.

The Tassie government is giving away free vaccinations.

ALL Tasmanians aged under 21 will have access to free vaccinations against meningococcal disease as part of a state government effort to prevent further cases.

Five people have contracted the disease in the past fortnight, including a teenage girl who died.

The immunisations will be rolled out statewide, starting in Hobart’s northern suburbs, where three of the cases originated.

State Health Minister Michael Ferguson told reporters on Thursday the three- month program would provide 100,000 vaccines that cover the A, C, Y, and W strains of the disease.

“We’ve not seen a program of this size and scale delivered in three months,” he said.

Two new cases of meningococcal disease were confirmed on Wednesday. The men, one aged 36 and another in his 70s, are in stable condition at Royal Hobart Hospital.

A three-month-old boy remains in hospital, while a 20-year-old man was struck down with the B strain of the disease last week.

A 16-year-old girl died earlier this month after contracting the W strain. Authorities don’t believe any of the cases are linked.

Mr Ferguson urged parents to keep a close eye on their children for symptoms, including fever, severe muscle aches and pains, headaches and confusion or drowsiness.