News & events

• Latest news
  • News archive
  • Fighting for a vaccine in memory of Kayden
  • Meningitis strikes Mossley family twice
  • Motocross in memory of Kelsey
  • Survivor Louise launches Big Stroll at Giants Causeway
  • Running in memory of Ross
  • Brave parents raise awareness in memory of Kadyn
  • Friends and family unite to remember Joél
  • Pounding the pavements in memory of Hannah
  • Meningitis survivor takes on personal swimming challenge
  • Raising awareness of meningitis in memory of Samantha
  • Runners unite for World Meningitis Day
  • Torch bearer Sally swims for the fight against meningitis
  • Take part in the Great North Run
  • Walking in memory of Stuart
  • Families step out for Big Stroll North East
  • Pub punters help stamp out meningitis
  • Meningitis UK welcomes Meningitis B vaccine trial news
  • Families touched by meningitis help launch awareness trailer
  • Motocross fundraiser in Kelsey Smart's memory raises £900
• Photo gallery
• Video
• Media centre
• Newsletter
• Supporter DVD
• 10th Anniversary
• Information days
• Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign

News RSS Feed

New meningitis vaccine to give better protection

26.03.10 

A NEW vaccine to protect future generations of children against the most deadly form of meningitis is being introduced on April 1.

Thousands of lives will be saved by the latest pneumococcal vaccine, which now guards against 13 strains of the disease, compared to the previous vaccine which covered seven.

Two of the UK's leading meningitis charities have come together to celebrate the launch of Prevenar 13, which is now being offered through the Childhood Immunisation Programme.

The Meningitis Trust and Meningitis UK say this is an important landmark in the fight against the devastating brain bug, which still kills more under-fives than any other infectious disease in the UK.

The vaccine will offer better protection against pneumococcal meningitis than is currently available, helping to lower the number of cases and in turn the number of deaths and after-effects as a result of the disease.

It is the most deadly form of bacterial meningitis with 20% of all cases resulting in death, and a further 25% of those who survive being left with severe after-effects such as brain damage, hearing and sight loss.

One parent who knows the true devastation of pneumococcal meningitis is Scottie Kern. Scottie lost his son, Cailan, aged just 11 months, to the disease in May 2009.

Scottie said: "I've been involved professionally in pharmaceutical research for over 13 years, and actually supported the development of the new vaccine, Prevenar 13. The fact that I worked on the very vaccine that would have prevented Cailan's death is an issue that remains difficult for me to resolve.

"I knew about pneumococcal disease and its effects in a professional capacity well before Cailan was even born; how the disease progresses, how the vaccines work and why new versions of these vaccines are needed.

"And then it happened to us, the greatest price was paid on May 13 2009 when meningitis took our second son, Cailan, from us.

"The impact goes far wider and deeper than the loss of a treasured child - the effects on my wife, Cailan's elder brother, my relationships with friends and family continue to present challenges on a daily basis."

Scottie added: "Cailan had received the pneumococcal vaccine as part of the Childhood Immunisation Programme, but the strain that he had wasn't protected against at the time.

"This new vaccine now covers this strain of the disease. I am proud to have been involved in this vaccine's development, and am truly delighted that it is now available and ready to save lives across the UK and beyond. We cannot help but wish it had been available 18 months sooner. "

Vaccination is the only way to protect against meningitis and uptake of vaccines is extremely important. In the absence of a vaccine to protect against all strains of the disease, being vigilant of the signs and symptoms of meningitis and trusting your instincts at all times, is vital.

The Meningitis Trust and Meningitis UK regularly work together to campaign for better awareness of meningitis, its signs and symptoms, after-effects and research into new vaccines to help to protect against it.

The Trust's primary focus is on the aftercare and support of people affected by the disease; its determination to make sure that people are not left struggling with the impact of the disease alone or in silence has meant that it helps more than 20,000 people every year.

Meningitis UK's sole focus is to eradicate all forms of meningitis. The charity funds cutting-edge research to achieve this goal and save thousands of lives in the future.

Sue Davie, Chief Executive of the Meningitis Trust says; "At the Trust we see first-hand the trauma and devastation that the disease can cause and with meningitis killing more children under five than any other infectious disease in the UK, introducing this improved vaccine into the Childhood Immunisation Programme is a very positive step forward.

"Every day we see and hear how people's lives have been changed forever after contracting meningitis, so anything that may prevent this suffering is supported by us."

Steve Dayman, Chief Executive of Meningitis UK said: "Tremendous progress has been made in the field of research over the last 20 years and this vaccine is another landmark in our journey towards eradicating meningitis.

"However, sadly, there is still no vaccine to protect against all forms of meningitis - including Meningitis B - and we are still hearing from families who are having to face the sudden trauma of losing a loved one.

"Because meningitis can kill in hours and is notoriously difficult to spot, we believe that a preventative vaccine is the only way to spare people this heartache. Our Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign aims to raise £7million to achieve this aim."

For more information on meningitis and the vaccines available, you can visit the two charity's websites at www.meningitis-trust.org and www.meningitisuk.org.