Stacey lost her son to meningitis. Here’s what she wants you to know

While the classic symptoms of meningococcal, the bacterial infection that causes meningitis, are a rash and a sore neck, not every patient experiences them. Other symptoms include fatigue, fever, joint pain, light sensitivity, vomiting and nausea. In young children, irritability, difficulty walking and high-pitched crying may also indicate a serious infection.

Young children, teens and young adults are considered to be at greater risk of the disease, which is spread person to person, partly because of lifestyle habits including sharing items from food and drinks with young children to vapes and make-up with teens. Deep throat kissing is also considered a common way to pass the disease from one person to another.

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Meningococcal usually causes meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. Treatment is via intravenous antibiotics but even with rapid treatment between five and 10 per cent diagnosed with the disease do not survive.

Those who recover may suffer from hearing loss, brain damage or loss of one or more limbs.

Karen Quick, chief executive of the Meningitis Centre Australia says meningococcal cases are on the rise this year with overall cases now at 58 nationally. Of those, 44 have been identified as the meningococcal B strain.

Meningococcal vaccines for the A, C, W and Y strains are free to babies over the age of six months and teens between the ages of 14 and 16 years under the National Immunisation Program. However, only people with specific conditions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders under two years of age have access to free vaccinations of meningococcal B.

While Brayden had received the ACWY vaccine, he had not been vaccinated for the strain that took his life at the age of 23. Meningococcal B vaccines cost between $100 and $150, with three shots required for babies and two for teenagers. When you factor in the cost of a doctor’s visit, Quick says it can amount to between $400 and $600 per patient.

The NSW Department of Health website advises that vaccination is still the best way to prevent the disease spreading. However, Stacey believes most parents think that their children are already immunised.

“Ninety per cent of people I speak with don’t know,” she says.

While her long-term goal is to push government to provide free vaccines – she is the face of “B the change for Brayden” campaign – she says an awareness campaign is vital, particularly for young people Brayden’s age.

“I would like to see a strong advertising campaign, particularly for that age group of 18 to 23 because it is quite scary,” she says. “We need something aimed directly at that group. They are in situations where there are a lot of drinks and vapes and lipsticks being shared and they need to be aware.”

The Commonwealth Department of Health is responsible for funding the National Immunisation Program with vaccines put through a rigorous assessment process before being included in the scheme. When contacted by this masthead, the office of the NSW Health Minister noted that the risk of contracting meningococcal is one in 200,000.

In relation to the request for free vaccines, a spokesperson for the NSW Government provided the following statement:

“The NSW Health Minister has written to the Federal Minister for Health proposing that he request Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to re-assess the inclusion of meningococcal B vaccine in the National Immunisation Program (NIP).”

For Stacey Chater and her family, change can’t come soon enough. Despite the cost, they have all been vaccinated for Meningoccocal B.

“I still can’t believe this has happened,” she says. “It changes your life forever. The thing that keeps me going now it to raise awareness.”

If you are worried about meningococcal disease you can call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria).

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