To think it's not a "monumental waste of money"

[EmilyReallyKnowsHerStuff]

I have just booked an appointment at Boots for my 2.5 year old to have the meningitis B vaccination. It's a bit of a drag in terms of the amount it's costing, but I believe it is absolutely worth it. I have read a few accounts from posters here who have sadly lost children to this disease and it makes me feel sick to my stomach.

My friend (antenatal friend, has a child the same age as mine) is very sneery about it. A monumental waste of money, apparently. The chances of her contracting it are so slim there is no point etc etc.

She's wrong, isn't she? I'm not just being paranoid and overprotective?

(On a side note, it is an absolute scandal how much this is costing. We are very fortunate that we can afford it. But what about those who cannot? It seems absolutely draconian that those who can't afford to pay for it just need to hope their child doesn't contract it )

Not at all.

My dd was born march 15 we got her done privately. Not a waste of money

Having witnessed the effects of meningitis I can promise it is not a monumental waste of money. Having to see a child that I'll and then see them having to learn to walk again after having their leg amputated. Seeing them still having operations 5 years later due to complications that arose. No money is too much at all.

Ill not I'll

Other jabs are on nhs for other strains Talkin. Thank goodness for nhs.

Not a waste of money at all. My daughter caught pnemoccocal meningitis when she was 10 months old. Not the same as men b but still life threatening. Thankfully she is OK after the Dr's diagnosed it quickly. But whatever you can do to protect your family is not a waste of money.

My dad died from meningococcal meningitis and ultimately septicaemia at the age of 36. I was 9 months old.

He was in ICU and on life support for just over 2 weeks before being removed. The vascular surgeon said that if there was a hell, he was living it already. He would not have been able to survive without having limbs amputated, and he would have been severely brain damaged. Effectively, had he survived, he would have lived in a persistent vegetative state.

My mother has described what he looked like to me, and said that over the 16 days he was in hospital, his body went through so much trauma that by the time he died, he looked at least 10 years older than he was.

This was 22 years ago. At the time, his initial symptoms were passed off as flu. It was far too late for anything to be done by the time it became apparent that it was something far more serious than just the flu.

Why on earth anyone would think chancing that sort of illness is worth saving some money over is beyond me. It can happen to anyone at any time.

Wondering if the vaccination is worth it for a four year old? Confused. Is there a cut off when children can have it? Couldn't see anything online about whether 4-5 year olds should get it or not.

There are different strains of meningitis, and different vaccines available. Children and young people have different risks for different strains at different ages. Hence the NHS vaccination programme offering the vaccines it does, at the ages it does.

However there will always have to be a start or end point in terms of age and eligibility, and if you are in a position to afford private vaccines for your child that aren’t eligible otherwise, nobody should criticise you for that.

Teenagers are offered the meningitis ACWY vaccine, Nimenrix or Menveo.

Babies from 8 weeks are offered the meningitis B vaccine, Bexsero.

There is some information from Meningitis Now about vaccines etc here

Soci, in the US now it's done for babies and then for preteens (age 10+) due to their research showing that babies/young ones and teenagers has the largest risk.

Mine had it at 5 and 3 I think it was. My sister had this strain at about 20 and it was touch and go in part due to slow diagnosis...I also lost a good Friend to it in our teens, it was important to us that they got it.

Soci, no your child can def still have it, all babies born after may 2015 will be offered it but not before.
My 4yo has had it (when he was 3), I believe tiny babies are more susceptible to it, and get it worse, which is why the priority has been to vaccinate new babies.
Your 4 yo has less chance of getting it, but can still be vaccinated. The kids in the queue when we got it done were 3-5.

We just paid privatly to have my dd's hearing treated becasue shed been waiting on the NHS for 18 mth and it was affecting her school work, money you spend on your childrens health and well being is never wasted.

Hi Just reading through this as I hadn't considered this before. My 2 are 10 and 13 so they won't have had the Men B vaccination. Are there any age limits to them getting it at Boots? Is it £110 per dose and there are 2 doses. So £220 per child? It is a lot of money but so worth it when you hear the sad stories of people who have lost a loved one. I think it's up to you OP I would defeintly do the same x

As someone whose child was hospitalised with a vaccine preventable illness (whooping cough, contracted shortly before his first jabs), I would find the money to pay for it if they hadn't automatically had it. The chances may be low, but that's no consolation if it's your child.

I can't think of a better thing to spend your money on.
My friend had a scare. I did and my mum said she had a scare with me too.

Tammy - my 2 had whooping cough too just before the summer holidays. It's an awful illness isn't it. I read recently that it's becoming much more common than before. My DD was really ill with it and cough still lingering - hope your wee one ok and recovered. Hence why I would also not mind paying for this vaccination as you'd never forgive yourself if your child got seriously ill from something that could have been prevented xxxx

Does anyone know the cheapest place you can get the vaccine?

I just phoned Tesco pharmacy and they do it for £35 but only for 12 years and older.

Anything that could save your child's life is not a monumental waste of money. Your friend is ridiculous

I am going to pay privately for the chicken pox vaccine. We had the men b one on the bus but I don't see any of it as a waste of money. You protect your children as much as you see fit as a parent. Ignore said friend and do what you feel is right.

If it's something you can afford for your children then it's definitely worth doing and not a waste of money. I know someone who lost an 18 month old daughter to meningitis. Low odds or not, every thing that you can do to aid your child's health you do it. Ignore the sneering.

I had this strain when I was 13 years old, so 26 years ago. I remember the pain was so bad I told my mum I couldn't even cry because it made it worse, so my body wouldn't let me. It was bad - the doctors told my parents to say their goodbyes as the chances of me making it through the night were incredibly slim. I obviously did survive, and they later remarked that they were surprised I hadn't died before making it to the hospital, as they hadn't seen a person survive so long with this strain (admitted to hospital on day 6 of symptoms manifesting).

My outcome was very lucky - I was left slightly deaf on one side, nothing major. That's it! But I guarantee if someone had offered my mum the chance to vaccinate me beforehand and not go through all of that, she would have moved heaven and earth to make sure it happened.

If you can afford it, why on earth would you NOT vaccinate your child? It's not known to be a risky vaccination. Okay, so the chances of contracting it are small, but what if? If this weighs on your mind, don't let anyone dissuade you.

I agree the costs are too high. For those of us who would vaccinate if we could, but can't afford to, don't feel guilty. I can't afford it either, but wish I could. We all do the best we can x

is she an immunisation specialist ?

I thought not......

I just had my MMR done. It's worth asking your GP for a vaccination as often they don't mind if you've missed a window.