A toddler has tragically lost his life after contracting the deadly meningococcal virus.
Sixteen-month-old Charlie Mason, from Adelaide, contracted meningococcal B before slipping into a coma on Monday. He sadly died at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital on Thursday.
Now, parents are being warned there is a global shortage of the vaccine against the disease.
Charlie’s grandmother, Bianca Bais previously wrote on Facebook: ‘I’m begging everyone, please pray your hardest for my grandson Charlie who is fighting for his life at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital against the cruel and ugly meningococcal disease.’
The ABC reports most parents won’t be able to buy the vaccine for the B strain until next year as a result of increasing global demand.
‘For people who started an immunisation program for their child, it’s concerning,’ Australian Medical Association South Australia president Doctor Janice Fletcher said.
‘For those considering a vaccination, I’m afraid they’ll have to go on a wait list until the vaccine is available.’
The B-strain vaccine, known as Bexsero, can cost around $450 for a full course.
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