The mass immunisation program for meningococcal disease will start on the 14th of this month targeting 333,876 people who are 19 years and below.
Minister for Health Rosy Akbar says 63,000 doses of the vaccine will arrive tomorrow, 40,320 doses will arrive next Monday and 21,510 doses will arrive next Wednesday.
The government has used $10 million to get the vaccines.
Akbar says that Ministry’s main priority at this stage is vaccinating the targeted group and they have not gone into talking about going outside the target group.
National Adviser for Family Health, Doctor Torika Tamani says the vaccination is not compulsory but they are encouraging everyone under the age of 19 to be vaccinated.
She says the vaccine is very safe.
Meningococcal vaccines have been licensed and previously used in Canada and the UK.
58 cases of meningococcal have been reported in Fiji from 1st January to 22nd April this year.
Four people all below the age of 5 years have died from meningococcal disease this year.
According to the Health Ministry, 24 are laboratory confirmed cases and 34 are suspected or probable cases.
38 meningococcal disease cases have been reported in the Central Division, 17 in the Western Division, 2 in the Northern Division and 1 case in the Eastern Division.
Out of the total number of people that have meningococcal, 66.7% are males.
