The meningitis B vaccine hit the headlines recently after the death of Faye Burdett. North-East GP Dr Zak Uddin examines the issues

ALTHOUGH the United Kingdom is the first country in the world to add the newly developed meningitis B vaccine to its routine childhood immunisation, with injections at two, four and 12 months of age, sadly the decision not to routinely offer the vaccination after this age has been met with disbelief and outrage by campaigners, doctors and nurses, as well as parents, some of whose children were affected by the illness when older.

A petition was started by Gateshead father-of-two, Lee Booth, whose daughter was refused the vaccine on the grounds of age, and it attracted 900 signatures.

However, after Jenny Burdett publicly shared a harrowing image of her two-year-old daughter Faye, who succumbed to the disease in February, the number of signatures rose to more than 800,000, prompting a debate in parliament.

Meningitis B is disease caused by the group B strain of meningococcal bacteria. Although commonly found in the throats of one in ten healthy people, without causing any harm, sometimes these bacteria migrate into the bloodstream causing septicaemia or blood poisoning, as well as to the linings of the brain and spinal cord; the meninges, causing meningitis.

The symptoms of meningitis include a high temperature, but with cold hands and feet, vomiting, an aversion to bright lights and drowsiness. The classic rash which does not fade when a glass is rolled over it; the so-called “glass test”, can be a late sign, and concerned parents should trust their own instincts as to whether their child seems unwell, and not wait for this before seeking medical help.

Septicaemia and meningitis require prompt hospital admission and treatment with antibiotics.

Thankfully many patients will make a full recovery, however one-in-ten sufferers will die as a direct result of the illness, and a quarter of survivors will be left with lifelong, and possibly severe, disabilities as a result of limb amputation, deafness, epilepsy and learning difficulties. Roughly 1,000 children and adults are affected by meningitis every year.

Despite only being recently introduced, the vaccine has been rigorously tested to ensure it meets strict safety criteria, with ten years of laboratory trials and more than one million doses given to individuals in 19 countries, with no concerns raised so far.

As with most vaccinations, babies may experience a fever, redness and tenderness at the injection site, and slight irritability, all of which should resolve after one to two days. Although difficult to quantify, immunisation is thought to be effective against up to 90 per cent of meningitis B strains.

The decision regarding the current immunisation schedule is based on research by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, an expert panel which advises the Government. Previously, it had argued that the vaccine was not cost-effective and should not be introduced.

However further discussion resulted in the vaccination schedule listed above. The JCVI argues that those most at risk are children between five and six months old, admitting that as the NHS budget is a “finite resource”, it has to identify that group of individuals who are most likely to benefit from a particular treatment.

Yet the charity Meningitis Now argues that there is sufficient evidence to support an immunisation schedule for all children up to the age of five, highlighting that although 25 per cent of cases occur in the child’s first year of life, 60 per cent of sufferers are under five years old, with four million children up to the age of four at risk.

The estimated cost of each individual dose is £75. However, due to the massive amount of publicity, there is a shortage of available vaccines, and indeed some private clinics are charging up to £400 per injection.

Obviously, the decision to have a new born child vaccinated is easy, as it is now part of the regular immunisation schedule, has been shown to be safe, and is free of charge. However, until or unless, the Government decides to change its guidance on upper age limit to which the vaccination is allowed, a private prescription is sadly the only way of obtaining the vaccine.

But as Lee Booth remarked in response to the greater costs associated with a more inclusive immunisation programme: “What price can you put on saving a child’s life?”

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