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The Australian Open is a grand slam tournament and we run it like a business. How can we afford to take a risk? These were the thoughts of Mark Young, tournament director for the Australian Open, and Mike Gebert, tournament general manager, when they announced that anyone competing at the first major of the year would have to be fully vaccinated against the deadly meningitis B bug. A year ago, six players were diagnosed with the disease; so far this year, no player has shown symptoms, but the Australian Medical Association has already recommended this policy as a means of keeping the disease at bay.
As John Millman, a seeded player, said on Wednesday, “I think it’s great for the health of the players.”
So far this year, no player has shown symptoms, but the Australian Medical Association has already recommended this policy as a means of keeping the disease at bay. And while this vaccine is not available to children under six years of age, Mr. Gebert said the policy was in line with the health recommendations of the World Health Organization, which suggests giving the meningitis B vaccine to all children before their fifth birthday.