All year 10 students in the ACT will receive a free meningococcal vaccination next year to protect against the W strain of the potentially fatal disease after significant outbreaks interstate.
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The school-based vaccination program will provide one dose of the 'MenACWY' vaccine to year 10 students, while a catch up program for adolescence between 16 and 19 will also be available.
The vaccine provides protection against the meningococcal A, C, W and Y strains.
While children are vaccinated against one type of meningococcal at 12 months, the other strains are not included on the national immunisation program
The ACT chief health officer Dr Paul Kelly said while the disease was very rare in the ACT - with only eight cases since 2014 - other states had recently seen significant outbreaks.
He said ideally it would move to a national program of vaccination on an ongoing basis.
"This one is a little unusual that the states have made their own decision based on urgent matter at hand," Dr Kelly said.
Health minister Meegan Fitzharris said the decision to roll out the vaccination program was based on increasing cases of W and Y strains across Australia.
"The important vaccination will be offered to students next year and is based on the fact that older teenagers and young adults are at increased risk of meningococcal disease and are most likely to spread the disease to others," she said.
"Meningococcal W and meningococcal Y disease have been increasing across Australia in recent years, and outbreaks of meningococcal W are currently occurring in WA, NT and SA.
"A MenACWY Vaccination Program will help keep Canberra's young people and the community protected from the emerging public health risk posed particularly by Meningococcal W disease."
School imunisations teams will start visiting high school across the ACT during term one next year to provide to Year 10 students with parental approval.
Families should soon receive a letter outlining the vaccination program and consent requirements.
Year 10 students who miss the vaccination at school will still be able to get it for free from a GP.
