Letter for general practice to send to eligible cohort about:Meningococcal W Vaccination Program for teenagers aged 15 to 19 years.
Please copy onto your practices letterhead and add phone number where highlighted below.
Tasmania is providing a Meningococcal W Vaccination Program for older teenagers through:
- school-based immunisation programs,
- general practitioners, and
- some council vaccination clinics.
The vaccine protects against 4 strains of meningococcal disease: A, C, W, and Y.
People who were born between 1 August 1997 and 30 April 2003 are eligible for free vaccine.
The program ends on 30 April 2018.
In Term one 2018, students in Year 10 will be offered free meningococcal vaccine through the school-based immunisation program.
Many Tasmanian teenagers received the vaccineat school during late 2017, but some missed getting it, or were no longer at high school or college.
Students now in Years 11 and 12 who missed out in 2017 can get the vaccine at school in Term one 2018, or can get it from general practitioners. Eligible teenagers who were not at school in 2017, or who have since left school, can get it from general practitioners
If you / your child are eligible and have not had the vaccine, you can phone this general practice on [number]to make an appointment. Please say that you will come for the teenage meningococcal W vaccine.
Meningococcal disease is a rare but severe infection. It can affect people at any age and can cause lifelong disability. Older teenagers are more likely to carry and spread the bacteria to others. The reason we are vaccinating 15 to 19 year olds is to reduce their individual risk of meningococcal W disease and to reduce the risk for the wider community.
Further information about the Tasmanian Meningococcal W Program is on the Tasmanian Department of Health & Human Services website at