Meningitis B

[notafancyusername]

Anyone with a 19/20 year old ?
Should we be getting the meningitis B vaccination for them ?

@FruAashild
Oh god thank you i didnt think
I've asked for it to be removed x

Children under 5 and teenagers/young adults are in the 'at risk group'. In truth any person, regardless of age can contract Meningitis. In 2015 it was decided to started vaccinating babies as part of the childhood vaccination schedule - babies have their last jab around a year old. Currently there is no booster given on the NHS, as part of the childhood vaccination schedule. The vaccine loses its effectiveness in appropriately 5 years. Those children first vaccinated in 2015 as babies, are now coming up 11 years old, so the effectiveness of the vaccine would have declined.

If you have a child born prior to 2015, your child hasn't received the Men B vaccination, unless you have paid for it privately.

The NHS can only vaccinate those who are deemed as 'a higher risk'. There isn't the funds, to vaccinate every single person on the NHS.

The supply of vaccine has been diverted to Kent, which is why some private appointments are being cancelled. The health officials need as many students as possible to be vaccinated and/or taking antibiotics before universities in Kent close for Easter next week and students travel home.

If you have a teenager/young adult, then arrange for your child to be vaccinated as soon as humanly possible, especially if they are at university.

I know from personal experience how utterly devastating the disease is, as I contracted bacterial meningitis and septicemia at 26. I spent 10 days in an induced coma on life support in ICU. I survived after being given a 30% chance of survival. I may have all my limbs/fingers/toes but I have many other side effects from the disease. I have yet to meet a single person who has survived, who hasn't suffered any side effects.

My kids had theirs when they started University. Took a lot of persuading from me and they reluctantly agreed. I got a text from one of them this morning thanking me for pushing them to have the vaccine. I only did it because it was a word of mouth thing amongst parents. There was not that much information available.

Good for those parents. I can understanding wanting your kids home and safe. And they will only cause an outbreak if they have very close contact with others. Hopefully they will be responsible enough to take precautions, and not share vapes and water bottles etc.

@Sassylovesbooks I agree with everything you say except “If you have a teenager/young adult, then arrange for your child to be vaccinated as soon as humanly possible, especially if they are at university.”

It would seem immunity following vaccination is highest in the first year and then wanes. I would vaccinate in the summer before starting university or if there is an outbreak nearby like is happening in Kent.

If you vaccinate now, you will not be allowed to vaccinate again fir five years so may not have the immunity you need, when you need it most.

Boots have opened a waiting list for MenB vaccinations. I have a ds going to uni in September so I've booked him on to the Boots list.

If it takes them a couple of months to restock, that takes us to May, then two jabs a couple of weeks apart, (June or early July), then 6 weeks for it to be fully effective by the end of August.

The new term starts in mid-September.

Your 20 year old is an adult, so they decide!

It's a shame it is only available privately. I guess the poorer kids just rely on fingers crossed!

For me, it is up there with providing food. I'm on a tight budget but ds WILL be vaccinated before he heads off in the autumn. I'll pay for it somehow.

Exactly. I paid for dcs before university (like pp, only heard about Men B accidentally) . I don’t care it was £200+ - I am not at all well off but that was a Top Priority for me.

I've just seen this video by a professor who is also an intensive care consultant.

It explains how transmission can take place and how this is nothing like Covid.

I have a 19 year old DGD who is currently on a gap year after sitting her A levels. I was rather alarmed when I saw all the news articles about meningitis going around. I asked my DD if DGD had had the vaccination and she said she was meant to have it in the spring of 2020. But we all know what happened then! I looked online about her being given the vaccine now and it said that 19 year olds weren't eligible for it! I was like 😱 The media are making a huge thing about it yet you can't get a vaccination for teenagers at risk. Unbelievable. Only available privately at a cost of around £200 which my DD just doesn't have.

@JohnTheRevelator the one missed would not have covered MenB which is the current issue in Kent.

Hi @JohnTheRevelator, please take a look at the video I shared.

As a Canterbury mum with kids at senior schools in the city, I've spent the whole week in a state of hypervigilance, but then I watched the video - released by one of the affected universities in Canterbury. It's by the Dean of the Kent and Medway Medical School. He's a professor and also an intensive care consultant.

I feel quite a bit more reassured now that transmission is actually quite difficult, unless sharing drinks, vapes or intimately kissing. This is not like Covid.

Bacterial meningitis needs close contact to spread.
Also we don't know how long vaccination protection lasts for as only been given widespread for ten years so need to check immunity amongst the vaccinated for a few more years

I am on a waitlist for vaccination, but told DD not to share drinks etc.

Ah yes of course that is why we don’t know how long the vaccine lasts, silly me should have thought about that. So, I have a child off to secondary in a year, will be flexi boarding (for various reasons), am
I best to wait until sixth form to vaccinate or should I vaccinate now and then again then?? Any doctors??

Fgs.