9. Question No. 9—HealthDr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 9—Health9. Dr SHANE RETI (National—Whangarei) to the Minister of Health: Does he stand by his statements and actions around the Northland meningococcal outbreak and vaccination campaign?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): I have said many times that the response to the outbreak of meningococcal W disease in Northland has been driven by advice from medical experts at every point. As I've also noted with just one case since the targeted immunisation campaign was rolled out every indication is that this campaign has succeeded in its aim of stopping the spread of the disease. I stand by these statements.Dr Shane Reti: Why did the Minister and officials not reveal there were extra meningitis vaccines available when the Director of Public Health in select committee today said We at the ministry did not have any formal advice that there was additional supply. So we had the 20000 confirmed to us by Pharmac and that's what we used to roll out the campaign."?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I do reject the characterisation by Mr Reti of the way in which I might have suppressed knowledge of something about which I did not know the detail at the time that he claims I knew. So I'd make that point to start with. I would also say that I'm advised the primary issues considered by the director-general when deciding on the approach to Northland were how best to halt the spread of the disease and to minimise the impact on the most vulnerable Northlanders. That campaign appears at this stage to have been successful.Dr Shane Reti: Why was the campaign not extended to other Northland children when we heard today that pick up wasn't what was expected during the campaign and there are now thousands of expiring vaccines left over?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I think this has been explained to the member many times but I will explain it again: when there is a limited number of clinicians available to provide the vaccination it's important to stop the spread of the disease by focusing on those who are most likely to spread it. So that's why there was a focus on the teenage age group as the vectors frequently of this infectious disease and then also to focus as a next priority on those who are most vulnerable which was young children.Dr Shane Reti: After the Institute of Environmental Science and Research notified the ministry that two children had died in October and the formal definition for an outbreak had been reached why was an urgent meeting of the National Immunisation Programme Coordination Committee not convened instead of leaving it six days for a regular meeting that had been arranged months previously?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I am not aware exactly of the detail of how that meeting came to be put in place but by any international comparison I think the response was very quick. The group convened they declared the conditions for an outbreak had been triggered and a response was put in place very quickly because they knew that the school year was running out and that in order to address those people who were most likely to spread the infectious disease they had to get moving quickly. Mr Reti can't have it both ways.Hon Members: Doctor!Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Sorry. Dr Reti—I apologise—can't have it both ways. He can't claim now that that very prompt response was too slow and then that they also should have gathered more information as he keeps seeming to say."