Jennifer Gravatt and Lance Gravatt, parents of the late Zachary Gravatt who died of meningococcal disease in 2009 at Auckland City Hospital. Photo: NZMEIt's been 10 years since medical student Zachary Gravatt died of meningococcal disease, and not enough has been done to eradicate the "preventable scourge" from New Zealand, his dad says. Zachary Gravatt died in Auckland City Hospital on July 8, 2009, just over 15 hours after he woke up with a fever. Last year 10 people died of meningococcal disease in New Zealand, with 120 cases reported. Two vaccines covering all five strains of meningococcal bacteria are still being actively considered for funding, Pharmac director of operations Lisa Williams said.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 09, 2019 08:03 UTC