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Irish Wedding News

02/09/2015

Babies To Receive Meningitis B Vaccine

A new programme to vaccinate newborn babies in the UK against meningitis B has started.

The Men B vaccine will be given to babies at two months, four months and 12 months, as part of routine immunisations. It is understood to be the first programme of its kind.

A programme to target babies born since May 2015 who missed the first jabs, will also be established.

The national scheme is publicly-funded, and campaigners have said it could prevent up to 4,000 cases of the disease by 2025. Children under the age of one have the highest risk of contracting meningitis B infection. In one in 10 cases it is fatal.

However, parents are still being advices to be aware of meningitis symptoms, as there are hundreds of strains of meningococcal group B bacteria. The trials for this vaccine are thought to be effective against 88% of them.

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Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at Public Health England, said: "This vaccine will help to save lives and prevent permanent disability. Meningococcal B disease can be devastating for babies and young children and it has cut many lives short and left young people disabled."

Christopher Head, Chief Executive of Meningitis Research Foundation, added: "We are delighted the MenB vaccine has been introduced as it has been at the top of this charity's agenda for many years. We hope this vaccine will save many lives and spare countless families the trauma of seeing a loved one die or become seriously disabled because of MenB.

"This vaccine could potentially prevent up to 4,000 cases of meningococcal disease in children younger than 5 years in the UK. However, we must remind the public that there are still some forms of the disease which are not covered by vaccines so it is vital that people are still aware of the symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia."

Sue Davie, Chief Executive of Meningitis Now, commented: "We're delighted to reach this milestone and see the vaccination programme protecting our newborn babies in England. This programme will save lives straight away and for years to come. We stand ready to support the roll out in any way we can."

Signs of meningitis infection include a fever with cold hands and feet, agitation, confusion, vomiting and headaches. Children can also be 'floppy' and can develop a red rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it.

(JP)

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"A new programme to vaccinate newborn babies in the UK against meningitis B has started."