Fear as life-saving meningitis vaccine ‘cancelled for commercial reasons’
Doctors have sounded alarm over plans to stop giving toddlers meningitis vaccine, claiming it leaves children vulnerable to the life-threatening infection.
All young people in the UK receive the shot around their first birthday, which protects against the meningococcal group C (MenC) bacteria. These insects cause meningitis – a rare infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spine.
The condition, which strikes healthy children without warning, is difficult to distinguish from milder childhood illnesses in the early stages and can lead to death within 24 hours.
Bacterial meningitis can cause life-threatening blood poisoning, called septicemia, and lead to serious injuries, including loss of limbs, deafness, and brain damage.
Since meningitis vaccines were introduced in 1999, annual cases have dropped from about 1,300 to just a handful
The drop of the vaccine for annuals is expected to happen when Menitorix supplies run out in 2025, but the Meningitis Now charity says the change could ‘put lives at risk’
Last summer, pharmaceutical company GSK, which makes the jab called Menitorix, announced it would halt production in what would be a “commercial decision.”
In response, vaccine chiefs have said it will be completely dropped from the childhood immunization program.
At the same time, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), which advises the government, replaces another aspect of the combined injection that protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib – another meningitis-causing bacteria. It does not intend to replace the MenC element.
Their experts say that because teens are now receiving a meningitis jab called MenACWY, children are being indirectly protected.
Since meningitis vaccines were introduced in 1999, annual cases have dropped from about 1,300 to just a handful. This is a sign that herd immunity has been reached – when the level of an insect in circulation falls to such a low level, it becomes very unlikely to be caught.
The vaccine for annuals is expected to be dropped when supplies of Menitorix run out in 2025, but the charity Meningitis Now says the change could ‘put lives at risk’. Together with the Meningitis Research Foundation, it is calling for an extra MenACWY shot for young people.
Teen vaccination rates for meningitis fell during the pandemic and have not returned to pre-Covid levels, their experts point out. Illness caused by meningococcal bacteria is unpredictable and increases without warning, says Claire Wright of the Meningitis Research Foundation.
Pediatrician consultant Dr Nelly Ninis said that while she trusts the JCVI to make the right decision, young children can be left vulnerable – especially when they go abroad to parts of Africa and the Middle East, where rates for MenC be higher.
Dr. Ninis warns that there can also be unpredictable outbreaks in any country. “There have been small hotspots all over Europe in recent years,” she says.
“Children can pick up the bacteria in their throats and while they may not be affected by it, they can take it back with them and spread it to other people.”
“I think giving maximum protection to every child is the way to go. Recognizing meningitis early is very difficult, and by the time it is caught it may already be too late.’
Parents may want to pay to vaccinate their children, she adds. A jab that protects against the four strains of meningococci A, C, W and Y can be bought privately in the UK for £50. Simon Nadel, consultant in pediatric intensive care at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, says monitoring cases of illness caused by Men C is ‘key’ so that action can be taken quickly if numbers start to rise. He adds: ‘I share the concerns of the charities. Fortunately, we can monitor that very well.’
A mother whose seven-week-old baby died of meningitis less than 24 hours after he became unwell expressed her displeasure with the plans. The night before he died, Myles King went to bed like a typical healthy baby. He woke up agitated and restless at midnight but had no temperature, says his mother Natalie, 40, a police officer who lives in Chobham, Surrey. She was driving him to the ER at 6 a.m. when Myles started making a growling noise. She says, “We were seen quickly and the doctor started antibiotics right away. But a rash just spread all over his little body.” Myles was admitted to Southampton Children’s Hospital for specialist care, but his organs began to fail and he died that afternoon. His death, in 2015, was caused by MenB bacteria, known to be the most lethal form, not MenC.
Natalie, who lives with husband Mark, 49, and their children Tristan, nine, and Elliott, five, adds: ‘Myles was a happy, healthy baby and it was shocking how quickly he became unwell.’