Meningitis Now has welcomed a significant new recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation supporting wider MenB vaccination for teenagers.
The JCVI has recommended that young people who received the MenB vaccine as infants should be offered a one-off booster when they turn 15. It has also strongly supported a catch-up programme for young people who were not vaccinated as babies and are currently too young to qualify for the separate one-off programme beginning next week.
Meningitis Now CEO Dr Tom Nutt said the recommendation was “a significant moment in the fight against meningitis”, but stressed that it must now be put into action by the Government so that eligible young people can receive the potentially life-saving vaccine without unnecessary delay.
The news comes as the Government’s new free, one-off MenB vaccination programme for eligible school leavers and under-25s beginning university or residential further education this autumn starts on Monday 20 July.
The programme is expected to offer protection to around one million young people. Two doses are required for maximum protection, so eligible young people are being encouraged to receive their first dose as early as possible, ideally well before the autumn term begins.
The interview below features:
• Leo Strider, who survived bacterial meningitis after spending four days on a ventilator
• Michelle Bresnahan, whose 16-year-old son Ryan died from meningitis
• Dr Tom Nutt, CEO of Meningitis Now, who explains the rollout, eligibility, booking process and the symptoms families should know
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
LISTEN NOW
CAPTIVATING READS
Our blog is packed with articles and stories based around lifestyle, business, design and wellbeing. Subscribe now to get all of our updated directly to your inbox every week.
