But isn’t there already a vaccine for meningitis? Yes, there are many vaccinations against bacterial meningitis however a vaccine for meningitis B has not been available. Until now...
The ‘Bexsero’ vaccine is the first to cover meningococcal B meningitis
To begin with here are some facts and figures about meningitis B in particular:
- About 1870 people contract the infection each year and one in ten die as a result
- However around a quarter of all survivors are left with life altering side effects such as brain damage or limb loss
- This is caused by inflammation of the cell membranes of cells in the brain and spinal cord caused by the bacterial infection.
Secondly some more information about the ‘Bexsero’ vaccine itself:
- Developing a vaccine against meningitis B has been particularly challenging as it is caused by thousands of subtly different strains of bacteria. This consequently makes it very difficult to find a single jab that could cover them all.
- As a result the genetic structures of the varying strains were analysed in search of a common shared feature which could be targeted
- The product is a jab likely to be effective against 73% of the different variations of meningitis B
Finally when (and even if) the vaccine will be introduced in the UK is unknown, however now the vaccine has obtained a licence a decision may be made to introduce the vaccine into the childhood vaccination schedule in the UK. Meningitis Trust feel it should be introduced as quickly as possible but we will have to wait and see what happens
(Source: NHS Choices)
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