Meningitis UK welcomes news of Meningitis C vaccine success
A national immunisation programme against meningitis has helped eradicate one strain of the disease for the first time, but Meningitis UK warns people not to be complacent.
Since its launch in 1999, the vaccine against Meningitis C has saved an estimated 500 lives and last year there were no deaths in the under 19s, a report from the Department of Heath announced.
However, Meningitis UK wishes to emphasise that there is still no vaccine available to protect against all strains, including the most common form in the UK, meningococcal group B, which accounts for almost 90 per cent of all cases and can kill in under four hours.
Meningitis UK's Chief Executive Steve Dayman said: "We are extremely encouraged by the news that for the first time there were no deaths in the under 19s from Meningitis C last year. This proves just how important a national vaccination programme is.
"However, it would be dangerous to celebrate the success of a vaccine when it only accounts for one strain. If parents wrongly believe their child is protected, they could become complacent and not react quickly enough when the early signs of the disease are developing.
"Meningitis can be incredibly hard to detect as many of its symptoms are often similar to more minor ailments such as the common cold or flu, plus there are occasions when people show no, or very few, symptoms. For these reasons, we believe the only way to eradicate meningitis completely is through the development of a preventative vaccine to protect against all strains of the disease.
"There is still a long way to go before the disease can be eradicated completely, so it is vital that research continues."
Last year Meningitis UK launched its Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign to help raise £7million to fund vital research into developing a vaccine against Meningitis B.
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