Parents hit out at lack of action by government
A year on from the tragic death of Maidstone two-year-old Faye Burdett her parents have hit out at the government’s lack of action.
Little Faye lost her 12-day battle with meningitis B on Valentine’s Day last year.
What followed was an unprecedented response to her parents’ call for the vaccine to be extended to children under 11, with a petition garnering 823,000 signatures.
Despite this and an impassioned parliamentary debate, extending the vaccine was judged to not be cost effective.
Faye’s father Neil, from Derby Road, Shepway, said: “To us, as a family who had lost our precious daughter to this preventable disease, the decision was both insulting and devastating.
“Faye was just six months too old to receive the Men B vaccine when it was introduced in September 2015. Any parent would be devastated at the loss of a child but knowing it could have been prevented is crippling. This was further compounded by the fact we didn’t know we could have taken Faye to get this vaccination privately.
“We are determined to make sure that other parents know more about meningitis than we did when Faye died. The fact that such a small amount of information about the vaccine, the signs and symptoms and the need to take urgent action, could have saved her life and the fact that we did not know this, will haunt us forever.”
During the debate former health minister Jane Ellison promised a review of the framework used to assess the cost effectiveness of vaccines such as Bexsero.
She also promised to undertake a national awareness campaign to protect children. To date, neither have been delivered.
Neil Burdett added: “I would call on the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, to explain the delays in the publication of the cost-effectiveness report and the lack of any awareness campaign. These were promised by his minister and he owes all of these people an explanation.
“We hope our actions in bringing Faye’s experience to the notice of parents across the UK has encouraged them to get their children vaccinated, or at least to learn the signs and symptoms of this debilitating disease and that this becomes Faye’s legacy.”