We are delighted to welcome Dr Vinny Karunasekera back to our team.

Vinny has previously worked here while he was completing his GP Registrar training under Dr Brett Mann.

Vinny has joined the partnership team and has taken over the management of Dr Brett Mann’s patients.

Here is a message from Vinny:

Kia Ora
My name is Dr Vinny Karunasekera. I am honoured to be taking over Dr Brett Mann’s practice, and
to be joining Ilam Medical Centre as the newest partner. I thought I would take this opportunity to
introduce myself.

I grew up a stones throw away from the practice itself, on Hamilton Avenue. I have biked past the
medical centre countless times on the way to school or Jellie Park. Little did I know back then,
that I would later become a partner of Ilam Medical.
I come from a medical family. My mother is a local GP and my wife is currently completing her
specialist training in General Practice. GP, in many ways, is ingrained in me. I studied at Otago
University and did my medical placements in Christchurch. I also have a post graduate Diploma of
Child Health. Since graduating, I have worked at multiple GP practices across Christchurch. This
has given me a unique understanding of the health care needs of different populations across
Canterbury. I have also previously worked at Ilam Medical in 2023, and had the privilege of
meeting many of you then.

I have been fortunate to be trained by Brett. He has been one of the most influential people of my
career and it is clear that we share the same passion for General Practice in its purest sense.
It is undoubtedly sad to see Brett retire from clinical practice. Brett has been integral to the health
and wellbeing of families across multiple generations. Countless medical professionals have also
benefited from Brett’s teachings on communication and somatisation. He will be sorely missed by
patients, students and colleagues alike.

The future of health care has many uncertainties. Because of this, I am committed to establishing
myself as a leader within our community, and I aspire to be a strong pillar for my patients and
colleagues for generations to come.
I look forward to forming a unique and long-term relationship with you.
Yours sincerely

Dr Vinny Karunasekera

We are very sad to see Dr Brett Mann leave our team but wish him all the best for the next chapter in his life.  Brett has made a positive impact on many many patients lives over his 39 year career.  His last day was 30th January 25.  He will be greatly missed by both our staff and his patients alike.

Here is a message from Brett.

I am retiring from my role as a General Practitioner and partner at Ilam Medical Centre. After thirty-nine fulfilling years, I have many special memories and greatly value my time working at Ilam.

I am very pleased to hand my practice over to Dr. Vinny Karunasekera. Vinny is one of the best registrars I have taught over the last seventeen years. Some of you met him when he was a registrar for six months in 2023 and will attest to his very pleasant, easy manner, excellent communication and biomedical skills. Other practices are very keen to have him, but we are delighted he is coming back to Ilam Medical Centre, and I have great confidence patients will be very well-served by ‘Dr. Vinny’.

Ceasing clinical work will be a big life-change but I will continue providing medical education and supervision to registrars and other professionals.

Yours sincerely

Brett Mann

We are now offering Covid-19 Vaccinations at the Ilam Medical Centre.

If you meet the below criteria,
and it has been at least 6months since your last covid-19 vaccination,
and it has been at least 6 months since you last had the Covid-19 virus,
then please call reception to book a nurse appointment for your vaccination.

Criteria

30 years and older, 6 monthly

** 16 years and older (only as a single booster)

** 12 years and older available if at risk of severe illness – Please discuss this with your GP before booking.

Covid-19 Cominarty Vaccination:

Coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19) is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Like other coronaviruses, it has characteristic crown-like protein spikes on the surface which it uses to infect the cells in our airways. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, provides your body with the instructions to make the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The spike protein is presented to the cells in the lymph nodes and induces a strong immune response.

Covid-19 continues to circulate widely internationally and to evolve rapidly with continuous changes to the spike protein. Because of this we need to maximise vaccine effectiveness by using variant-matched vaccines, similar to the way we do for influenza vaccines. Omicron is the only variant currently circulating globally and previous variants such as Delta and the original strain have largely disappeared. Numerous sub-lineages of Omicron have caused global waves of infection. Therefore, as of 7^th March 2024, there is a new Cominarty Vaccine (Omicron 30mcg XXB.1.5), which offers better protection against the current strains of Covid-19.

Booster/Additional Dose Schedule:

Although protection against reinfection with Omicron variants wanes within months of booster doses, protection remains against severe disease. It is not yet certain how long the protection from COVID-19 vaccines and infection lasts. For most, it appears that protection against severe disease extends beyond six months as immune memory develops. So, having a dose earlier than 6months has limited benefit. Having a longer interval between doses also reduces the incidence of adverse events, including the rate of myocarditis and pericarditis following mRNA vaccines. Therefore, additional/Booster doses should be given at least six months after previous COVID-19 vaccination or COVID-19 infection.

A single booster dose is recommended for individuals aged 16 years and over, after completing the primary course.

Additional doses of Comirnaty 30mcg XBB.1.5 continue to be recommended from six months after last COVID-19 vaccination for those aged 12 and over who are eligible because of a higher risk of severe infection.

Additional doses continue to be available for healthy people aged 30 and over.

For more information on eligibility for additional/booster doses, please refer to the following website:

Comirnaty 30mcg XBB.1.5 – Immunisation Advisory Centre (immune.org.nz)

Safety Information:

All National Immunisation Schedule vaccines can be given at the same time as the Comirnaty 30mcg XBB.1.5 vaccine, preferably in a different limb. Influenza vaccination is also highly recommended for eligible groups and can be given at the same time as all COVID-19 vaccines.

This vaccine is safe to be given at any stage of pregnancy, and is Latex-free.

Common responses to this vaccine include: Pain at injection site, Headache, Fatigue, Muscle aches, Chills, Fever, Joint aches, Nausea.

Rare responses include: Lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), Myocarditis, Pericarditis.

COVID-19 and the Influenza Vaccination

It is safe to have the Influenza vaccination at the same time as all COVID-19 vaccinations, however Novovax contains adjuvants to boost the immune response, so please let the nurse know if you have recently had a Novuvax Covid vaccination (Note: this is not the standard covid vaccination). Please refer to the listed websites for information, or call to discuss any concerns or queries with a nurse before booking your appointment.

If you have had COVID-19, and are no longer isolating, there is no stand-down period required before having your influenza vaccination.

If you have any questions that are not answered above, please give us a call to speak with one of our friendly nurses.

We have clinics open for bookings from Tuesday 2^nd April, 2024. Please call reception to make an appointment, or book through your online Portal account.

We will be running our annual drop-in influenza vaccination clinic for those aged ≥ 65 years on Saturday 6^th April, 2024. People in this age group will receive notification about this closer to the time.
Note: We will only be providing the funded influenza vaccine at this clinic.

Why is the influenza vaccination important this year?

This year, as COVID-19 restrictions ease and borders reopen, it can be expected that a resurgence of respiratory viruses will follow, including influenza. During COVID-19 outbreaks, influenza vaccination is important, as the co-circulation of both diseases leads to an increased risk of serious illness if both viruses are caught whilst unvaccinated.

Eligibility:

The influenza vaccine is recommended and funded for people who meet the eligibility criteria, as set by PHARMAC. Note, this has narrowed slightly from last year and only includes:

– Pregnant people

– People aged 65 years and older

– People aged 6 months to under 65 years with eligible conditions*

– People aged 6 months to under 65 years with serious mental health and addiction conditions*

– Tamariki aged 4 years or under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness (including measles) or have a history of significant respiratory illness.

*For more details on eligibility, please refer to Influenza vaccine – Immunisation Advisory Centre (immune.org.nz)

The Vaccines Available This Year:

*Tamariki aged 6 months to under 9 years who are receiving the influenza vaccine for the first time should receive two doses, at least 4 weeks apart.

**Fluad Quad is available for purchase for those aged ≥ 65 years.
As we age, our immune system becomes less effective. This vaccine is designed to promote a stronger immune response, and so is potentially more effective for people in this age group.
We have limited stock, so please let reception know when making your booking if you wish to purchase this vaccine and we can put one aside for you, or order one in.

For 2024, the influenza strains included in the quadrivalent vaccines are:

• A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus
• B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus
• A/Thailand/8/2022 (H3N2)-like virus
• B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus

COVID-19 and the Influenza Vaccination

It is safe to have the Influenza vaccination at the same time as all COVID-19 vaccinations, however Novovax contains adjuvants to boost the immune response, so please let the nurse know if you have recently had a Novuvax Covid vaccination (Note: this is not the standard covid vaccination). Please refer to the listed websites for information, or call to discuss any concerns or queries with a nurse before booking your appointment.

If you have had COVID-19, and are no longer isolating, there is no stand-down period required before having your influenza vaccination.

For more information, please refer to the following website:

Influenza_2024_Flu kit – Factsheets – Immunisation Advisory Centre (immune.org.nz)

We no longer require patients to wear masks in the practice.

Patients will still be screened for respiratory symptoms.  Anyone experiencing a cough, runny nose, sneezing or Flu symptoms will be asked to wait in the carpark.

Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis.

At least 12 groups/strains of this have been identified, including A, B, C, X, Y,  and W.

In New Zealand over 2014–2017, meningococcal group B caused around two-thirds of meningococcal disease each year, group C almost one-third and groups Y or W the remaining few cases. In 2022, group B was the prominent type in NZ causing 80% of group-identified cases.

Bexsero, a multicomponent recombinant vaccine against meningococcal B disease is available in New Zealand and is now part of the routine childhood immunisation schedule (in addition to all other vaccines already on the schedule).

As part of this schedule change, the government is funding a catch-up schedule. See tables below for information on the schedule, catch up programme, and key definitions:

Additional Information

Other meningococcal vaccines that protect against groups A, C, W and Y are also available in New Zealand, but are not funded within the childhood immunisation schedule. For best protection against all meningococcal disease in New Zealand, separate vaccinations against group B disease and groups A, C, Y and W disease are recommended. Please have a read of the websites below and/or ask your GP or nurse for information if you wish to learn more about this.

Websites for Further Reading

Bexsero – Immunisation Advisory Centre (immune.org.nz)

https://www.immune.org.nz/diseases/meningococcal-disease

Appointments are now available for Flu Vaccinations. Bookings can be made over the phone.

Why is the influenza vaccination important this year?

This year, as COVID-19 restrictions ease and borders reopen, it can be expected that a resurgence of respiratory viruses will follow, including influenza. During COVID-19 outbreaks, influenza vaccination is important, as the co-circulation of both diseases leads to an increased risk of serious illness if both viruses are caught whilst unvaccinated.

Eligibility:

The influenza vaccine is recommended and funded for people who meet the eligibility criteria, as set by PHARMAC. This includes

– Pregnant people

– People aged 65 years and older

– People aged 6 months to under 65 years with eligible conditions

– Māori and Pacific peoples aged 55 to 64 years

– Tamariki aged 4 years or under who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness (including measles) or have a history of significant respiratory illness.

For a full list of eligible conditions, please refer to www.influenza.org.nz, or view the PHARMAC website: https://schedule.pharmac.govt.nz/ScheduleOnline.php

The Vaccines Available This Year:

*Tamariki aged 6 months to under 9 years who are receiving the influenza vaccine for the first time should receive two doses, at least 4 weeks apart.

**Fluad Quad is available for purchase for those aged ≥ 65 years.
As we age, our immune system becomes less effective. This vaccine is designed to promote a stronger immune response, and so is potentially more effective for people in this age group.
Unfortunately we have already used our initial stock and we are unable to order any more of these vaccines.

For 2022, the influenza strains included in the quadrivalent vaccines are:

• A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus

• A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2)-like virus (new)

• B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus (new)

• B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus

COVID-19 and the Influenza Vaccination

It is safe to have the Influenza vaccination at the same time as all COVID-19 vaccinations, except Novavax. Please refer to the listed websites for information, or call to discuss any concerns or queries with a nurse before booking your appointment.

If you have had COVID-19, and are no longer isolating, there is no stand-down period required before having your influenza vaccination.

For more information, please refer to the following website: https://www.influenza.org.nz/sites/default/files/IMAC_Flu_Kit_2022_29-03-2022.pdf