Meningitis Foundation Urges Wider Access To Vaccines On World Meningitis Day

Aotearoa New Zealand will once again lead the world in commemorating World Meningitis Day this evening, as iconic landmarks across the country light up purple tonight as part of a global “chain of light”. The initiative symbolises the goals of the World Health Organization’s Global Road Map to Defeat Meningitis by 2030, while remembering those who have lost their lives or live with lasting impacts of this devastating disease.

This year’s event carries particular relevance. In the past several, New Zealand has seen three tragic deaths caused by meningococcal meningitis.

Gerard Rushton, Chair of The Meningitis Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand, says the toll is unacceptable when vaccines are readily available.

“The recent cluster of deaths is a stark reminder of how fast meningococcal disease can strike. Every case is a tragedy, and many could have been prevented with wider vaccine access. The current inequity in who can afford protection is putting the lives of our young people at risk,” he says.

Meningococcal disease can kill within hours or leave survivors with life-long disabilities such as limb loss, hearing loss, or brain injury. Yet access to publicly funded vaccines in New Zealand remains limited to those under five, or those in or entering their first year of a “close living situation” (such as a school boarding house or university hall of residence). The Foundation is calling on the Government to urgently widen free access to both meningococcal B and ACWY vaccines, so that cost and circumstance are never barriers to protection.

Tonight, landmarks including Auckland’s Eden Park, the Wellington Cable Car Tunnel, New Brighton Pier in Christchurch, Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, and others nationwide will shine purple in solidarity. These luminous gestures are a reminder that every second counts in the fight to eliminate meningitis by 2030 — and that New Zealand must act now to save lives. The Foundation is asking people to share images in social media using the hashtag #MeningitisNZ

In addition to the lighting of landmarks for World Meningitis day, the Meningitis Foundation has this week launched Samoan- and Tongan-language versions of its Meningitis colouring book, while this Saturday, 4 October a provincial rugby clash between Mid Canterbury vs North Otago in Ashburton for the historic Hanan Shield will raise funds and awareness for the Meningitis Foundation as part of World Meningitis Day.

Also marking World Meningitis Day, Todd Horton, mother of 16-year-old Dion Hodder who tragically passed away from meningococcal septicaemia on 20 October 2018, has commenced a 172.6km walk from Oamaru to Ashburton along SH1. Todd is walking to raise $7,500 for the Meningitis Foundation, to raise awareness of meningococcal meningitis and help prevent other families from experiencing the same loss.

Donations can be made here: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/moving-it-for-meningitis

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