Richard and Judi have
written to their MP Dominic Grieve to ask for help in ensuring the long overdue
introduction of the meningococcal Group B (MenB) vaccine.
MenB has for decades
been the single largest cause of meningitis in the UK. Young children and
adolescents are most at risk. It leads to death in 10% of all cases and to
long-term after effects in a further 36%. Department of Health (DH) surveys have consistently
shown that it is the most feared of all illnesses by the parents of young
children in our country and each year it costs the NHS millions of pounds in
medical litigation.
A vaccine against
MenB which was recommended by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and
Immunisation (JCVI) on 21 March 2014 to be routinely given to children in the
UK, but almost a year on there are no signs that the vaccine will become part
of childhood immunisation programme anytime soon. Meanwhile cases of MenB
continue to occur and babies, children and adults are dying and being badly
disabled as a result.
Charity Meningitis
Research Foundation has launched the #WheresOurVaccine
campaign to bring pressure to bear to introduce the life-saving vaccine as soon
as possible.
Richard and Judi say: “We are supporting the #WheresOurVaccine
campaign because our son Harry died of Group B
Meningococal meningitis and septicaemia in 2007 when he was 11 years old. Judi can
still remember taking him to our GP’s surgery for his meningitis jab when he was
just a toddler and left feeling sure Harry was safe but unaware there were
different strains. Almost a decade later
another nurse tried to comfort us as Harry lay on a hospital bed in intensive
care dying of Meningitis B. Harry’s life
was extinguished in a single day by this terrible disease, because it is so
difficult to detect we believe a vaccine is the only way to fight and eradicate
this strain of Meningitis.”
The
good people of Marlow and many others – some around the world – have raised in
excess of £130,000 in memory of Harry and it would be a wonderful achievement
for them and of course Harry for this vaccine to be introduced.
Please help with this
campaign and visit
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