Meningitis outbreak

[Flipitoff]

I’m freaking out a bit

DD has been here all day after travelling from uni yesterday. Her housemate is really poorly and now I’ve just seen the news about the meningitis outbreak at her uni.

Her housemate is in the house on her own now - I’ve told DD to call the uni and let them know. Worried that DD has been here with us all day in case she gets sick

my kids had it privately in 2017. I’m going to pay for a new course I think. From what I’ve read it can’t harm them as babies have three doses and some people have boosters if vulnerable. I’d already been looking into this and think it’s worth it. Son off to uni this year.

Out of interest would you get it too as a parent and presumably older adult? Or just student age due to the risk of mixing?

When ds got the jab before uni the nurse said it was because of proximity.

I think it’s the student age due to all the mixing - it’s passed on by very close contact so kissing, sharing vapes. Lots of students in the same household etc.

1 in 10 people who get meningitis will die. This is huge .I do think more needs to be done now. Get the vaccine stocks up, look in to funding the men B vaccine. Run an awareness campaign. It’s a deadly virus.

What I don’t understand is why some recover and some die. I don’t know if that is down to immune systems or bad luck.

Since there are two mengitis vaccines people need to be careful - I rang the child vaccines centre who do the school vaccines and asked if my children had had mengitis vaccine and of course the answer was yes as they had had Meng C. Nurse said no all good they are up to date. BUT when I said does this include being up todate on Meng B she said no as NHS does not offer to this age group. So if parents are asking NHS staff have their child/ren had mengitis vaccine ... you need to be specific and say meng B vaccine.

@Delatron Yes. It’s that type of close contact with young adults. That’s why all students should be vaccinated. Mine were in 6th form I think because vaccine was quite new then. Also, everyone needs a vaccination record so you know what you have had and when.

They need the Men CAWY? Not just C. And then they need to pay for the B just before Uni. It is very confusing. I’m not sure mine had the Year 9 jabs so I now need to check that. They had all the ones when they were a baby.

Thank you. I’ll check with the GP what they’ve had and then get them both down in Yr13 before uni.

Well they haven’t achieved that yet. Boots in Canterbury has no available appointments in the next month. So parents wanting to vaccinate their kids at a cost of £220 at the moment simply can’t - and of course those in difficult financial circumstances will never be able to.

Hope all is ok op. It sounds very worrying. Just hearing about Men B and no vaccine for this age group.

My DS2 was born September 2015. I know the vaccine began then so I’m wondering if he would have had it? I’m sure his red book is in a box in the loft! My DS1 is 13 so he won’t have had it but looking into paying for it

Those who had it as babies in 2015 will need it again before uni? As it doesn’t last? I think that’s what nobody has realised?

@Delatron - if your children are already older than year 9 they wouldn’t have had the Meningitis jab as babies ? Or did you just mean they had the normal routine baby vaccines

I’m surprised it wasn’t publicised when they discovered this.

My youngest was born in Spring 15 and younger babies got the full men b vaccine schedule when it was introduced but there was a catch up scheme for his age where he missed one dose. I remember looking into at the time whether it would still be as effective, but could find nothing to confirm one way or the other. It wasn’t an option to vaccinate a baby privately with the other dose.

We vaccinated our two year old privately at the same time - two doses. Within an hour of the first vaccine my two year old had a high temperature which lasted for a full week, which made me very glad that we’d paid for it - I dread to think how she’d have been if she’d come into contact with men b itself. She was fine after the second vaccine.

Sorry the routine ones yes. They haven’t had Men b and I’m not sure the catch up ones on Yr9. This has prompted me to check’

I asked before ds went to uni if he was def up to date and had all vaccinations and was told he had. Ds has a few health issues and always seems to get things worse than everyone else. He is also a long way from home as his course isn’t offered closer. Didn’t realise Men B wasn’t included.
Ds is also the sort that will limp on and insist he’s fine when he’s unwell.

I have booked for next week at a Boots near uni but fully expecting it to be cancelled. It’s very expensive but I really want him to have it.
If I’d realised I could have had it done before he went. Def needs to be a campaign of some sort and a catch up.

I’ve just tried to book the B vaccine for my DC at my local Boots. No appointments.

They were vaccinated when they were 2 and 5. They are now almost 16 and 13. The oldest has prom coming up (which in my opinion is similar to going to a nightclub) and the youngest is a day student at a boarding school and some of his friends board. I consider these to be risk areas and want them protected ASAP.

When ds went into halls last year I called the gp to make sure he was up to date with all the necessary vaccines I asked about the meningitis and he’d had the ACWY the previous year as he’d missed it at school and I’d sent him to the gp surgery to get it, however when I asked about the menB they said no they don’t give that one. I had NO IDEA it could be paid for privately in boots they did not tell me this and nowhere had I seen this information. I am finding out about it now.

I've spent my morning trying to get some answers on this Men B Vaccine - which my DD had 11 years ago. I wanted to know if she should have it again, and if so one dose or two.

Pharmacist No.1 said "if she had the Men B vaccine she should be covered for life" - which completely contradicts everything I have read in the past 24 hours.

Pharmacist No.2 (at Boots) said they don't know! They are "currently awaiting guidance on the matter and cannot give any advice until said guidance comes in" - I should contact my GP she said. Which I have just done.

GP told me to contact the practise Nurse. I am not expecting a clear answer from them either, but we'll see.

In short, the people who should know don't know.

The only advice I can give is.

I've checked some guidance from countries that give it to adolescents as well.

So in South Australia they give Men B to babies.

Then again in year 10 the kids will be given 2 boosters at least 4 weeks apart.

Yes, I had similar. They will speak to the script that all vaccines are up to date. I can see why tbh - it's not their lookout what we all choose to do privately.

This really does mean only certain parents even know about this.

Maybe it was because our DDs were at boarding school that they got the jabs? Not sure but it’s definitely a pre uni jab that’s worth it.

It's due to the early signs being spotted - which is why it is so important we all know.

There are great videos about this on the Meningitis Now website.

My Dd was given Men B as a baby born abroad. But from what I was reading it provides cover for childhood only and they are then at risk as teens.

Are there any side effects for teenagers with the vaccine ie fever, unwell etc because ds is going away and not sure to get him the vaccine before he goes or when he comes back early next week