A South Australian family’s petition to have the meningococcal B vaccine added to the immunisation list for children will soon be presented to the federal Health Minister.
Three-year-old Jazmyn Parkyn contracted the life-threatening disease last August and spent four weeks in hospital in Adelaide, nearly 250 kilometres from her home in Renmark, in the state’s Riverland.
“[The doctor in Renmark] found a spot on her chest and put her into hospital because she was quite agitated and stuff … and then it just went from there, with being flown through to Adelaide,” Jazmyn’s mother Sarah Parkyn said.
“We were really shocked [because] we thought with all the immunisations that are on the immunisation schedule, Jazmyn was covered.
“There’s an immunisation for meningococcal C … we weren’t aware there was a B-strain around.”
Even with a quick response, meningococcal B can cause significant scarring, brain injury, deafness and the amputation of limbs or hands and feet.
Sarah and husband Aaron Parkyn said they did some research after their daughter’s ordeal and could not find a doctor in their area who could provide full immunisation for any cheaper than $300 for a child over 12 months old.
The family decided to start a petition to take to the Federal Government, urging it to add the vaccine to the National Immunisation Register.
Their petition has received close to 3,500 hand-written signatures and has passed through the initial checks of the Parliamentary petitions committee.
“It went to Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland … it went everywhere, which was just fantastic,” Mrs Parkyn said.
“All kids should be covered … and they shouldn’t have to go through what Jazmyn went through.”
Mrs Parkyn said Jazmyn still experienced leg and stomach pain, and could have more difficulties with her health in the future, in areas like bone growth and development.
The federal Member for Barker, Tony Pasin, presented the petition in Federal Parliament last week and asked for action on the request.
“Given the similarities of flu-like symptoms and those of meningococcal B, there is a strong case for the vaccine for meningococcal B to be placed on the National Immunisation Register … a fact made plain by Jazmyn’s near fatal experience,” he said.