What is Meningitis B and Why Don't Older Children Get the Vaccine?

 

What is Meningitis B and Why Don't Older Children Get the Vaccine?

What Is Meningitis B?

Meningitis is an uncommon but serious disease, which attacks the lining of the spinal cord and brain and can cause blood infection called septicaemia. It can prove to be fatal due to rapid progress. It is a type of the meningococcal disease, which is caused by the Neisseria meningitides, a kind of bacteria.

About 1 in 10 patients of meningitis will sometimes die within 24 hours depending on the severity of the symptoms. Some survivors can experience long-term, persisting disabilities such as brain damage, kidney damage, hearing loss, problem regarding nervous system, skin scarring and loss of limb function.

Meningitis Vaccine in UK

There was no vaccine of Meningitis until recently. In fact, UK was the first to introduce the Meningococcal B immunization in September 2015 as part of their NHS childhood immunisation programme.  The Meningitis vaccination Northampton offers consist of three injections that residents can avail and they are usually given to infants at 2 months of age, after which booster doses are given at 4 months and 12 months of age.

The Meningococcal B immunization is expected to safeguard children until the age of 4. However, the Meningitis vaccination Northampton offers only protects against some of the strains of MenB. There are some viruses and bacteria that can also cause meningitis and the meningitis vaccine in UK will not have any effect whatsoever or wipe out the meningitis disease complete.

Why Don't Older Children Get Vaccination For Meningitis B?

Meningitis commonly effects children under the age of one and cause symptoms such as vomiting, fever, lethargy and food feeding. It can also cause blood poisoning and can be identified from a tell-tale sign of purple rash.

The meningitis vaccine in UK is not recommended for older children as it is very rare in children over the age of four. However, there has been cases of meningitis in adolescents in the recent years, but not as common as babies as they are at a high risk due to lower immune protection from antibodies.

Babies build up immunity slowly after being exposed to bacteria in the environment, while teenagers carry this bacteria in their throat. The vaccination for meningitis B is given in the UK based on its effectiveness for different age groups and who is more likely to be infected.

According to the laboratory confirmed cases, highest rates of disease are in children between the age of 1-4 years of age due to which the government deems it cost effective to vaccinate children under the age of 4 and not older kids.

Location: 4 Malvern Grove, Northampton NN5 6AY, UK

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