A heartbroken Melbourne mother is calling for the meningococcal B vaccine to be made freely available to all children and teenagers after her 16-year-old son, Levi, died suddenly last week.
Norliah Syer-Peterson said her son began feeling unwell on Tuesday, September 23, with what seemed like gastro-like symptoms before his condition deteriorated rapidly. Levi, a Year 10 student at St Francis Xavier College in Beaconsfield, appeared perfectly healthy earlier that day.
“I had dropped him off to do some work with my brother, who is a removalist,” Syer-Peterson said. “We were joking around and talking about having a mum-and-son fun day during the holidays.”
Later that afternoon, Levi came home complaining of a stiff neck. “He said he fell asleep in the truck, so I thought maybe he was just sore from lying awkwardly,” she recalled. She gave him water and ran him a bath, but when he refused food — something unusual for him — she knew something was wrong. Levi soon felt nauseous, so she gave him a bucket and sent him to bed.
In the early hours of the morning, around 1:30 a.m., the family awoke to find Levi vomiting in the bathroom. “He was delirious, mumbling nonsense and talking about someone he didn’t even know,” Syer-Peterson said. Alarmed, she called triple zero.
Paramedics arrived quickly and administered antibiotics, suspecting an infection. Levi had a temperature of 41 degrees and began complaining of leg pain. “He asked, ‘Am I going to die?’ and we all said, ‘No, no, no,’” his mother recounted tearfully.
Levi was rushed to the intensive care unit at Monash Children’s Hospital, where dozens of doctors and nurses worked desperately to save him. “It was like something out of a nightmare,” Syer-Peterson said. Soon after, purple spots appeared on his skin, and his heart stopped. Levi passed away around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after first falling ill.
“He was the most gentle, kind, and loving boy,” his mother said. “He prayed for people, loved basketball, and even played netball with one of his girlfriends.” Levi had recently earned his learner driver’s licence and was looking forward to the year ahead.
Tests confirmed Levi died of sepsis caused by meningococcal B bacteria. Like most Year 10 students in Victoria, he had received the free meningococcal vaccine that covers strains A, C, W, and Y—but not B, which requires a separate vaccine only funded for high-risk groups.
While states such as Queensland, South Australia, and the Northern Territory have chosen to fund meningococcal B vaccination programs for all children and teenagers, Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT, and Tasmania have not.
Syer-Peterson said she is now determined to campaign for the vaccine to be made freely available nationwide. “It’s ridiculous that this isn’t funded. Ordinary Australians can’t afford to pay for it,” she said, adding that she hadn’t realized Levi needed an additional vaccine.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommended meningococcal B vaccination for infants, young children, and adolescents as early as 2014. However, a Department of Health spokesperson told 9News.com.au that inclusion in the National Immunisation Program depends on a recommendation from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), which has yet to receive an application from vaccine manufacturers seeking expanded eligibility.
So far this year, Victoria has recorded 13 cases of meningococcal B. A state Health Department spokesperson said the Chief Health Officer continues to monitor the prevalence of meningococcal disease, which informs ongoing vaccination advice, but noted that the PBAC does not currently recommend the vaccine for the broader community.
