THE Health Department has confirmed it is in discussion with pharmaceutical companies about options to manage meningococcal disease type W, after a noticeable increase in the rarer strain over the last couple of years.
Overall cases of type B, C and W are down from 688 in 2002 to 262 nationally last year, but type W is still described as a "serious disease".
At this stage there is no active submission to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee to include a vaccine for type W on the National Immunisation Program.
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