Australian children under two years of age are at risk of contracting pneumococcal disease as the country battles the worst outbreak in 20 years.
There have been 4,500 cases of pneumococcal disease, including meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia, since the beginning of 2023, the highest annual rate since 2002.
Pneumococcal meningitis is a life-threatening infectious disease that causes inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
The Immunization Foundation of Australia (IFA) He warned there could be a deadly surge in cases in 2025 if the federal government did not speed up new vaccines targeting deadlier strains of pneumococcus.
The new vaccines have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and recommended by both the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.
However, they still do not receive funding from the National Immunization Program.
Carly and John Goya lost their six-month-old daughter Mabel to pneumococcal disease in September 2021.
They believe Mabel would still be alive if the vaccine was available three years ago.
Six-month-old Mabel Goya (pictured) died of pneumococcal disease in September 2021 (Mabel is pictured with her parents and older sister)
Mabel spent a week in the ICU before her parents made the heartbreaking decision to turn off their daughter’s life support. The six-month-old girl is pictured with her mother Carly Goya.
The Goyas were enjoying a family day out when Mabel began showing signs of distress at night and began vomiting.
Her parents took the six-month-old girl to the hospital the next morning and treated her for dehydration and observed her overnight.
Mabel was diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis and within days had suffered severe brain damage.
The six-month-old spent a week in the ICU before her parents made the heartbreaking decision to turn off their daughter’s life support.
“We made the decision to remove the breathing tube and remove all other tubes except the morphine to stop any pain,” Ms. Goya wrote.
‘The pain and torture of seeing our daughter continue breathing for 15 hours, before passing away on the morning of September 22, is absolutely indescribable.
“No parent or child should have to endure this.”
Goya said the vaccine would provide protection against seven additional strains of the disease, including the one that proved fatal to Mabel.
Mabel (pictured with her parents and older sister) was diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis and within days had suffered severe brain damage.
Pneumococcal meningitis (pictured) is a life-threatening infectious disease that causes inflammation of the layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
“It is crucial that new vaccines, specifically the new pneumococcal vaccine, be funded and added to the National Immunization Plan,” he told the courier mail.
“Pneumococcal meningitis has incredibly devastating consequences and is very easy for medical professionals to misdiagnose.”
Carly and John are now parents to eight-month-old triplets Edie, Owen and Augie.
They started the Mabel Oliva Airi Foundation to honor Mabel’s life and raise awareness about pneumococcal meningitis.
Catherine Hughes, founder and director of the Australian Immunization Foundation, called for the new vaccines to be urgently rolled out through the National Immunization Programme.
“We simply cannot risk not having the best pneumococcal protection available,” Ms Hughes said.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler told Daily Mail Australia: “The Albanese Government strongly supports immunization as a safe and effective public health measure to reduce the impact of many diseases in the community that can cause hospitalization and serious health problems. or even death.’
“Prevention and treatment of pneumococcal disease is a priority for the Albanese Government.”
“The pneumococcal vaccines currently available in the National Immunization Program (PNI) provide strong protection against pneumococcal disease,” said Mr Butler.
“The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) is currently finalizing a review of the childhood pneumococcal schedule, to allow consideration of which vaccines are best for the population.”
‘I have asked ATAGI to accelerate this advice to the Government. I am committed to ensuring Australian children have access to the best possible vaccines, as determined by ATAGI experts.’