Bexsero was licensed in Europe in January last year but there had been a lack of evidence surrounding its effectiveness
A new vaccine against the deadly disease meningitis B is set be made available free on the NHS. The Department of Health said that it would make an announcement on Friday morning.
The Bexsero treatment was licensed in Europe in January last year but the NHS had previously been advised against adopting it due to a lack of evidence of its effectiveness.
Meningitis B, which is most common in children under five years old, particularly in babies under the age of one, is a highly aggressive strain of bacterial meningitis. It infects the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and can cause severe brain damage, septicaemia or even death.
Of the estimated 1,870 cases of meningitis B each year in the UK about one in 10 people affected will die and one in three will be left with debilitating after-effects such as loss of limbs or brain damage, according to campaigners.
The Meningitis Now charity has campaigned for the Bexsero vaccine to be available on the NHS in the hope of saving thousands of lives and sparing many from life-changing after-effects.
Around 200 scientists and researchers backed a petition last month calling meningitis and meningococcal disease "a parent's greatest fear" and calling for swift reappraisal of the recommendation made by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the government on vaccinations.
According to the Independent, sources close to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said the JCVI had noted the criticisms of its decision by leading medical researchers and doctors and had now reversed its conclusion that the vaccine was not cost-effective. Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.
A new vaccine against the deadly disease meningitis B is set be made available free on the NHS. The Department of Health said that it would make an announcement on Friday morning.
The Bexsero treatment was licensed in Europe in January last year but the NHS had previously been advised against adopting it due to a lack of evidence of its effectiveness.
Meningitis B, which is most common in children under five years old, particularly in babies under the age of one, is a highly aggressive strain of bacterial meningitis. It infects the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and can cause severe brain damage, septicaemia or even death.
Of the estimated 1,870 cases of meningitis B each year in the UK about one in 10 people affected will die and one in three will be left with debilitating after-effects such as loss of limbs or brain damage, according to campaigners.
The Meningitis Now charity has campaigned for the Bexsero vaccine to be available on the NHS in the hope of saving thousands of lives and sparing many from life-changing after-effects.
Around 200 scientists and researchers backed a petition last month calling meningitis and meningococcal disease "a parent's greatest fear" and calling for swift reappraisal of the recommendation made by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the government on vaccinations.
According to the Independent, sources close to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said the JCVI had noted the criticisms of its decision by leading medical researchers and doctors and had now reversed its conclusion that the vaccine was not cost-effective. Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.