A nre research published recently has criticized some elements of the government's 2004-2008 meningococcal B (MeNZB) immunization programme, which cost $200 million.

The new review by the Science Media Centre is critical of the lack of "engagement" or "late engagement" by the Ministry of Health of the government in the country. The research was lead by Professor Diana Lennon and was written in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The review titled, "Reducing Inequalities with Vaccine: New Zealand's MeNZB Vaccine Initiative to Control an Epidemic" claimed that delay in progressing that vaccine strategy against serotype B, "led to unnecessary and potentially avoidable deaths and sequelae, many lifelong".

The research also pointed out that the children of Pacific ethnicity having highest risk of the disease received highest vaccination, however this was not applied to other high-risk ethnic groups, such as Maori children.

The research said that a lack of information decreased the effectiveness of the MeNZB vaccinations. IT said the research made during the programme was short cited and efforts were not made to assess the contribution of MeNZB to the decline in meningococcal disease in the country.