Meningitis jab will be offered to all Scots babies

ALL babies will be offered a meningitis B jab under plans announced yesterday.

The vaccine costs £20 and is expected to be available across the UK, including in Scotland, on the NHS by the end of the year.

There are 1,870 cases of meningitis B in the UK each year and it commonly affects the under-fives and teenagers.

There are 120 deaths annually and 400 are left with disabilities including brain damage, limb amputations, deafness and blindness.

The announcement by UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt follows growing pressure by charities, which warned that children were dying and suffering devastating injuries.

Initially, a panel of scientists advising the Government had recommended in October 2013 that the vaccine should not be introduced as it was not deemed cost-effective.

But ministers told the joint committee of vaccination and immunisation to carry out another assessment, which concluded last March that it should be offered.

But the Government spent almost a year negotiating with drugs manufacturers to agree a cheaper price.

Nearly 800,000 babies born in the UK each year would be eligible for the jab,

‘This vaccine will

save lives’

at an average annual cost to the NHS of £16million.

But charities estimate the NHS spends at least £3million caring for and treating just one child who has survived meningitis but is left with lifelong disabilities.

The jab would be administered to babies from the age of two months at GP surgeries, with a booster at four months and again at 12 months.

Most would have it at the same time as the five-in-one jab – for whooping cough and tetanus – and the rotavirus oral vaccination.

The move means the UK will be the first country in the world to offer the jab to all babies.

Mr Hunt said: ‘This is one of the biggest worries for any patient who has a baby or young child.

‘It particularly affected babies five or six months old.

‘We can now go ahead this year with rolling out the meningitis B vaccine and that’s something famil i es, particularly those with young children, will r eally welcome.’

He said ministers had a ‘standoff ’ with Novartis, the firm which used to own the vaccine, ‘for the best part of a year’ as it failed to agree a cheaper price.

The jab, called Bexsero, has since been bought by GlaxoSmithKline, which has agreed to sell it at a lower cost.

Mary Millar, Scotland Manager of the Meningitis Research Foundation, said: ‘MenB has been at the top of this charity’s agenda for decades and we are delighted that vaccinating all babies against this devastating disease is now within sight, cementing the UK’s position as a world leader in meningitis prevention.

‘When this vaccine is finally introduced it will save lives and spare countless families the trauma of seeing a loved one die or become seriously disabled because of MenB.

‘The bitter experience of those who have been personally affected has been vital in our campaigning for this vaccine, demonstrating the compelling case for prevention.’

Meningitis is an infection of the outside layer of cells surrounding the brain and spinal cord, causing i nfl ammation and damage.

Symptoms include fever, headache, a stiff neck and a red rash which does not fade when a glass is pressed on it.

It can kill a healthy child within hours and is the most common cause of death by infectious disease in childhood.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: ‘The Scottish Govern- ment has been consistent in its support for the introduction of the Meningitis B vaccine Bexsero. We will now work to roll out the vaccination programme as quickly as possible.

‘Meningitis B is life-threatening and can affect people of any age, but is most common in babies and young children. By offering this vaccine as part of the routine programme, we will be able to save lives.

‘This disease can be devastating for children and their families and I’m very pleased we can now take the necessary steps to tackle its effects.’