The pneumococcal vaccine. what do you think about it and will you be getting it for your child

[starshaker]

just wandered if any1 else had rcieved a letter. i dont want dd to have it but again dp does. i hate the thought of her being pumped full of stuff. and if she had been born 6 months earlier she wouldnt be getting it anyway

[TheBlonde]

Not had the letter yet but pleased they have finally introduced it. My DS will be having it as a catch up job

[Tinker]

Hmm, got my letter today. Need to think. She only had her mmr 12 days ago so a bit soon for me, I think.

[SenoraPostrophe]

in spain it's by private prescription only, but i will be getting it for ds2 because we have a family history of very serious ear infections. according to the doc, this makes him "high risk".

if it weren't for that I'm not sure I'd get it though, or at least, i'd have a look at the potential side effects etc. maybe I'd get it anyway.

[LucyJones]

I would definitely get it. I wish it was available for my ds who is over 2 now though. A little girl on here died on it

[schneebly]

DS will be getting his on Wednesday and I am glad - keeps him safe from a horrible and very dangerous illness.

[wheelybug]

DD will be definitely having it. As far as I can see getting the jab has got to be better than getting menigitis.

[amyjade]

I think it is long overdue!!!

My daughter died from Pneumococcal meningitis last April, she was a healthy 19 month old and within 10 days was left with severe brain damage.
Freya's story is on the Meningitis research website under case studies.

I wish my daughter was born 17 months later then she would still be alive.

I'm not getting involved in anymore prevenar threads as reading words like 'pumped full of stuff' makes me sad. I have faught long and hard to get this vaccine introduced and as long as lives are being saved and the majority of the population are taking it up then that's fine with me,it's up to the individual if they want to risk their child contracted this disease.

[starshaker]

but have they not already had the meningitis vaccine

[LucyJones]

amyjade it was you who I was thinking of. You sound like an amzing person xxxx
Do you know why it's only for under two's? Is that set to change?

[amyjade]

Under 2's are more at risk but a friend of mine lost her 4 year old to the disease, so any child has a chance of contracting it it's just more common in the under 2's.

We think Freya's meningitis developed from a simple ear infection.

[pucca]

I will be letting ds have it (5 week old) but unfortunately my dd misses out as she is 2.7YO.

[Olihan]

If you read the statistics on the number of children who die or are left seriously disabled as a result of pnemococcal diseases then I think there is no reason NOT to have the vaccine. I know the number of children who contract it are small but the proportion of those who die or are left with serious problems are very high.

TBH, I'd rather give my children every vaccine under the sun than risk them catching some of these illnesses that are now preventable. I personally can't face playing russian roulette with my children's health. It's too easy to think that it will never happen to you but amyjade is living proof that it can and does happen to anyone.

Amyjade - I've read your story on here before and I am so sorry. I can not imagine what you are going through and I'm so glad that people like you are doing something positive to help prevent another parent going through what you are suffering. Thank you for campaigning for this vaccine.

[amyjade]

It amazes me how little is known about the disease. When Freya was diagnosed it was the first time i had heard of pneumococcal meningitis and had no idea how serious it was!
I never thought for a moment that she had meningitis as she didn't have a rash.

Please, Please if your unsure about the disease,it's sypmtoms and the vaccine please look on www.meningitis.org it will tell you all you need to know.

[LucyJones]

here here Olihan

[Charleesunnysunsun]

DS has had his, he was fine not even grumpy afterwards. He has all the injections that are offered i figure its better to be safe than sorry.

[Olihan]

Starshaker, there are lots of different strains of meningitis and they are not all covered by the meningitis vaccine in the current imms programme. That only protects against Men C (someone correct me if I'm wrong). This new vaccine protects agianst pneumococcal meningitis, and a couple of other related illnesses such as septicaemia, which is far more serious, albeit rarer.

Will see if I can find the info about the different types.

[amyjade]

Thanks lucyjones and olihan.

Freya was a very special little girl and the loss of our beautiful daughter has torn our lives apart i wouldn't want anyone else to suffer the immense pain of losing a child to this awefull disease that is why this vaccine is so important.

[amyjade]

Here you go.

Bacterial Meningitis

At least 50 kinds of bacteria can cause meningitis, but the main types are:

Meningococcal

Meningococcal infection causes most cases of bacterial meningitis in the UK and Ireland. Meningitis and septicaemia have different sets of symptoms, but most people who are infected have symptoms of both. When septicaemia occurs without meningitis it is more life-threatening.

Pneumococcal

Pneumococcal bacteria are the second biggest cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK and Ireland, and in some countries it is the main type of meningitis. The bacteria are quite commonly carried, and are more likely to cause earache, pneumonia and less serious illnesses than meningitis.

Most cases of pneumococcal meningitis are in children under two years old and adults with specific problems (head injuries, diseases of the blood or circulation, or immune deficiency).

Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib)

This used to be the most common type of meningitis in children under 5 in many countries. Since the introduction of the Hib vaccine in 1992, cases have dropped by over 90%. Hib meningitis is now rare in countries that use the vaccine, but is still a major problem in countries that do not.

Group B Streptococcal (GBS)

This is the main cause of meningitis in newborn babies. GBS bacteria can cause septicaemia, meningitis and pneumonia. Up to 90% of babies who get this disease survive and a recent study found that half of those who recovered from GBS disease had no significant after effects. GBS bacteria are carried by at least 30% of people and are usually harmless.

E coli

Certain strains of these bacteria can cause meningitis, especially in newborn babies, and people of any age who have particular health problems. It is a much more important cause of meningitis in developing countries.

Listeria

This is an uncommon cause of meningitis, occurring mainly in babies, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems. There are fewer cases now than in previous years due to increased awareness of foods that can cause listeriosis in pregnant women and people with certain conditions that increase their risk to infections.

Tubercular (TB)

This is a rare form of meningitis due to the tuberculosis bacteria. Most patients who have got TB meningitis have tuberculosis of the lungs or elsewhere. This type of meningitis does not come on suddenly like typical bacterial meningitis. TB meningitis develops slowly, and this makes diagnosis more difficult.

Viral Meningitis

This type of meningitis is usually relatively mild, with symptoms of headache, fever and general ill feeling, although some serious features of meningitis may occur. Since people with viral meningitis often recover without medical treatment, it is difficult to be certain how common it actually is, but it is probably more common than bacterial meningitis.

Fungal Meningitis

Fungal meningitis is quite rare. It mainly affects people with immune deficiencies.

[Marina]

Starshaker that was meningitis c. This is a different strain of the same bacteria.
Now all they need to do is find an effective vaccine against meningitis b
I asked twice about prevenar at my surgery after dd got her first ear infection at five months. If I had known more about its possible links with pneumococcal meningitis I would have refused to have been fobbed off like I was
As well as Freya old-time Mners might remember bobbins, whose gorgeous son Harvey also died of pneumococcal meningitis.
This vaccine is long overdue in this country IMO. I think it is very interesting that our well-regarded local single jabs clinic thought Prevenar worth offering privately over a year ago.

[Olihan]

This explains a bit

[Xena]

DD1 had the rarer meningcoccal meningitis and septicima.
9.30am 5/12/02 DD1 8mths - dropped at the childminder WELL
2pm I collect her she is cuddle her minder who says she has been like it since she woke up after lunch, she takes no notice of the fact that i'm there. High temp
I take her straight to the doctors who checks her neck strips her to her nappy to look for a rash (no rash) and says he thinks that she has flu.
Collect DS1 from school
5.30pm change her nappy and there is a deep purple mark on the crease of her leg, call doctor and he says he'll wait at the sugery for me to arrive.
6pm He checks DD1 over again and says he thinks that the poppers on her vest have caused the mark, but to take her to the hospital if I have any concerns later.
7pm settle her sleep.
11pm check before I go to bed and disturb her and she is hot so I get her up to give her calpol. She spits it onto her sleepsuit so I take it of to change her. Notice small pinprick marks and tell DH that I'm taking her to hospital. While i'm re dressing DH is playing boo and she is giggling at him, I'm having second thoughts about taking her but her head mildly moving backwards, it was just strange is the only way to describe it.
11.45pm DD waves to the receptionist and she remarks that she is not to bad but sends her to see the paed doc.
they take prelim bloods and meanwhile try getting 'a line in'. Before the bloods return the pinpricks start spreading out- like ink being blotted on a tissue. By the time the bloods are back (about half an hour) the situation is worse DD is floppy and covered in 'the rash' the infection in the blood is so high that nothing else can be causing this. DD was a VERY chubby baby and it was so hard to find a vein. I can't remember how long i sat there with silent tears flooding down my face whilst I held her and they tried to get the antibiotics in.
2am DD is lying on my chest with the antibiotics going round her body. If you pressed her skin then the mark was there for a lond time (try it on your skin now press it for a sec and you see how quickly the colour returns) At this point was LIFE OR DEATH bear in mind we are 13hrs from the first time she showed any signs of illness.
I sat on the chair with her, my eyes shut and trying to engrave in my mind her breathing so I'll remember it if she passes away.
She got through the first critical 24hrs but the consulatant told us that her best friends child had it this bad and had never walked talked and was very disabled. Each day the prognosis got a little better.
She is now 4 and the only scar she has is in her hearing although the recent test have shown that it seems to be repairing itself.
I will be waiting for the vacine to be at my surgery and will be asking for all 4 of my DC's to have it the other 2 people treated at the time were 7 and 22

[Xena]

amyjade i am so sorry for your loss. I've never cried reading mumsnet before.

[MuddyMum]

I have read on the guidelines that it's for the earlier months (weeks and months) and then 13 months. My DS is just 12 months and got his appointment for the single dose tommorrow which I've postponed for the following month to take him to the 13 months as per the guidelines. I'm determined for him to have it, but did I need to postpone it?

[CountTo10]

I too received notification out of the blue and was very unsure but you only have to look at the menigitis foundation site to see the benefit.

One thing I would also mention that doesn't seem to have been particulalry publicised is for that the men c jabs that were given at the same time as the 5 in 1 are not that effective over the age of 12mths and they are now changing when they give the men c jab. My lo is getting a men c booster at the same time as his pnumo vac so if its not something that has been mentioned to you before, ask!!

[spagbol]

I paid for it for all my kids and think you'd be bonkers not to have it.