Professor Richard Booy from The Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney says despite the fact a vaccine has been available on the private market for more than a year, the Federal Government has twice refused to list it on the national immunisation schedule.
"It's a real pity that we don't have this vaccine routinely available for children in Australia. There are two peaks of disease in babies under two years of age and also in teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 and both could be prevented by vaccination," he said.
A vaccine for meningococcal C is already on the immunisation schedule, but to be protected from the B-strain, which accounts for eighty five per cent of cases, it costs around $125 a dose.
The Director of Meningococcal Australia, Kay Stammers, says there's often a misconception among parents as to what their child is immunised against.
"People think that because their children are being vaccinated under the national immunisation program, that they are fully protected from meningococcal disease but they are not, they are only protected against the C strain," she said.
Five years ago Bernadette Giribaldi was fighting for her life after the then three year old was struck down Meningococcal B.
Her Mother Mary says as soon as she saw a rash appear on her daughter, she knew something was wrong.
"It was one normal afternoon, all of a sudden she had a high fever ... it wasn't until hours later that we knew that something was serious because we looked at her torso and saw lots of red spots," she said.
Despite intensive treatment in hospital, the disease took both her legs, some of her fingers and left her with kidney damage.
The meningococal B vaccine wasn't available at the time.
A baby may require up to four doses, a child or teenager, two doses, but Professor Booy urges families to consider it, if they can afford it.
"It is expensive right now, we hope that it will be re-considered by the government but I think families should consider right now the benefit of protecting their children against a rare but very serious infection," he said.
Nationally there are up to 250 cases of meningococcal B each year and around 10% of patients die and 20% are left with permanent disabilities.
The incidence of meningococcal almost doubles during the winter months.
The vaccine is about to be rolled out as part of the routine childhood immunisation program in the UK.
