Meningitis B is a rare disease, but it could kill your child within hours – the fatality rate is 5-10%. There is a new vaccine, but the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) says it should be restricted to children under a year old. But parents dread meningitis B, and after media reports of the death of two-year-old Faye Burdett in February, more than 820,000 people signed a petition asking the government to widen the vaccination programme. In the meantime, if you can afford it, should you pay for your child to be vaccinated?
The solution
Meningitis is inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord that can lead to blood poisoning. Meningococcal group B is now the commonest bacterial type (many others are dealt with in vaccination programmes), and infection risk peaks at around six months of age. It continues to infect children up until they are five years old, with another spike among teenagers – although anyone can catch it. The bacteria are carried in the noses of healthy people – teenagers are the main carriers. Meningitis Now suggests that vaccinating teenagers could reduce this risk.
The vaccine –Bexsero, made by Novartis – has so far been given to around 1 million people. It is considered safe, although it can cause a fever – paracetamol is recommended at the two- and four-month jabs. The programme should prevent 26.3% of cases in the first five years, assuming the vaccine covers 88% of strains and is 95% effective against the disease. However, there is a global shortage of the vaccine, likely to last until summer 2016. The cost of having jabs privately varies from around £90 to £130 per jab, and three are needed.
Natasha S Crowcroft, chief of applied immunisation research at Public Health Ontario, says it is early days for this vaccine. Protection seems to wane, as trials show that some of the components do not last as long as was hoped, and there is no good evidence for it improving herd immunity – whereby those not vaccinated are protected. There are also other vaccines emerging that might be better.
If the JCVI approach works, and this vaccine is as good as the current one for Meningitis C (which is offered to all children) then herd immunity for older children will take off.
It is also uncomfortable to think that some parents can afford a vaccine and others not. And there’s also the reality of the risk of meningitis B – our children are more likely to die from other causes, some also preventable. But I still have an old pack of Tamiflu I bought irrationally when swine flu was scary, so I’m not preaching to any other parents.
