With three more young New Zealanders adding to the meningitis death toll in the past five weeks, the Meningitis Foundation is sounding alarm bells once again.
They want free vaccinations for our most vulnerable, all adolescents and young adults, regardless of whether they are in close living situations.
Todd Hodder’s son Dion died from meningitis at just 16 years old. He’d had a cold before going to camp, but when asked if he wanted to see a doctor, he declined, saying it was just a virus.
Tragically, the next time she and his father Lance saw him, he had been airlifted to hospital.
“There he was intubated. He was starting to blotch and sadly, when they took him for a CT, his heart stopped and that was it, and we said goodbye to our boy.”
Since that day, his mum Todd has been determined to make a difference — to raise awareness of meningococcal disease and help prevent other families from suffering the same devastating loss.
This month, she’s walking 172.6km from Oamaru to Ashburton along State Highway 1, honouring Dion’s memory with every step.
As she walked along the highway past Makikihi she said: “I talk to him, not talk to myself, I talk to Dion …I've got Dion everywhere and mostly in my heart”.
Huge trucks toot as they rumble by, Todd waved back and said with a smile: “Meningitis is as dangerous as walking on a state highway and as fast as the traffic."
It’s a message she wants to share as she distributes flyers along the way, aiming to raise $7000 for the Meningitis Foundation, to help with its fight for free vaccines for all teenagers and young adults.
“Being vaccinated would have been exactly what Dion needed, he would still be here.”
Meningitis Foundation chairman Gerard Rushton lost his daughter Courtney to the disease. He said “it can take a life in 24 hours”.
That’s why the foundation is imploring the Government to help prevent more needless deaths.
“Present criteria for adolescents is far too narrow with only those only those at halls for residence or boarding schools can get free vaccinations.”
In a statement, the drug funding agency Pharmac told 1News it assessed the charity's funding application for the meningococcal vaccine for young people who aren't in close living situations. It is now been placed on a priority list of medicines Pharmac would like to fund.
Rushton said: “We're just calling on the Government to act quickly because this is taking our young people’s lives. It’s really important – we need to get them protected.”
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