Our research is having an impact! A life-saving meningococcal vaccine covering all five common strains of the deadly disease could soon be available for families. 🚑 A rare but very serious disease, meningococcal can result in death if not treated quickly. 🚑 Children who survive are often left with life-changing health complications such as brain injuries, deafness, severe scarring or amputated limbs. Currently, there is no single vaccine available that covers the five common strains – A, B, C, W and Y. However this may soon change, thanks to vital research conducted by the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at The Kids, alongside national and international collaborators. Professor Peter Richmond – Head of the Vaccine Trials Group at the Wesfarmers Centre, Head of Paediatrics at The University of Western Australia’s Medical School and a paediatrician at Perth Children’s Hospital – said currently, parents wanting protection against all five strains must purchase a separate vaccine at a significant cost. “Our aim was to show that a combination ‘pentavalent’ vaccine containing the A, B, C, W and Y strains of meningococcal in one injection was safe,” Professor Richmond said. “Thanks to the success of this research, the combination vaccine was recently approved by the FDA for use in the US for those aged 10 to 25, and we hope to see it licensed in Australia in the near future.” The research is welcomed by families like those of Tahlea, who contracted meningococcal at just six months old. Her mother Chelsea Perrin was told to say goodbye to her beautiful baby girl – but thankfully, Tahlea made it through the first critical 48 hours. Tahlea was left with amputated fingers and toes, scarring to 80% of her body and epilepsy. She also has a brain injury that means she is unable to talk, walk or swallow on her own. Ms Perrin said the introduction of the combination vaccine to the National Immunisation Program would be a game-changer for families. “Meningococcal is not a game, and it doesn’t discriminate – every child deserves full protection against this terrifying disease, and I’m so thankful this research will make that possible.” Read more about this game-changing research in our latest Impact Report: https://shorturl.at/rtVP2 Image courtesy of The West Australian.
