AUSTRALIA has secured unexpected supplies of meningococcal C vaccines and doubled the size of its vaccination program, extending free immunisations against the lethal virus to another million children.

Health Minister Kay Patterson announced yesterday a further $191 million funding for the scheme, making it Australia's most expensive vaccination program, costing in total $292 million.

When the program started in August a global shortage of the vaccine meant it was restricted to at-risk groups of 12-month-old babies and 15- to 17-year-old students.

Under the expanded scheme, the free vaccines also would be available over the next year to children aged 12 months to 5 years through their GPs, and 15- to 19-year-olds at school.

"The federal Government has approved an earlier rollout of the vaccination program because we have secured extra supplies of the vaccine," Senator Patterson said yesterday.

Almost 6 million children would receive the vaccinations over the next four years.

The meningococcal C virus is responsible for around half of all deaths from the disease. No vaccination exists for the B-strain of the virus.

President of the Meningococcal Association of Australia, Joe Mac Manamon welcomed the announcement and said the day was coming when Australia would rid itself of the disease entirely by mass vaccination.

"This is a big step in the right direction and eventually we will reach a day where we see that the expenditure is worthwhile to free ourselves from this disease, which is worse than ebola," he said.

The Australian