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The UK will soon become the first in the world to vaccinate children against mengingococcal B (MenB) after the government and GlaxiSmithKline announced a deal last week. The only licensed MenB vaccine, Bexsero, will be added to the national childhood immunisation programme.
Dr Helen Bedford, Senior Lecturer in Children’s Health at the Institute of Child Health, UCL, said:
“The introduction of a vaccine to protect infants against meningitis B infection is welcome and very good news for children and families. In their first year, children are at the highest risk of contracting this infection which presents as meningitis and/or septicaemia (blood poisoning). These carry a high risk of death and many survivors are left with severe complications. There are already several vaccines in the immunisation schedule to protect against other causes of bacterial meningitis (MenC, Hib, PCV) which have resulted in a significant decrease in cases of these infections. The addition of MenB vaccine means that even fewer children will be at risk of this devastating infection.”
Dr David Elliman, Consultant in Community Child Health, Whittington Health NHS Trust, said:
“It is great news that a suitable price has been negotiated for the vaccine. The introduction of meningococcal B vaccine will mean that the numbers of children suffering this terrible illness will be further reduced.”
Prof. Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Bristol, said:
“This is another important step in a process that began 23 years ago when the first meningitis vaccine was introduced in the UK. It is neither the beginning nor the end of the story and, even for the B strain of meningococcus, this is expected to be only a partial solution. We also have an important new vaccine initiative in the pipeline to prevent cases of the rarer but rapidly rising W strain.
“Nevertheless this is an important day for many people who have been involved in bringing this vaccine into existence, most notably the thousands of British families who have participated in trials which enabled the vaccine to be licensed. We have one of the best surveillance systems in the world and it will fall to the government we are about to elect to ensure that it continues to be properly supported so that the impact of this and other immunisation programmes can be accurately monitored.
“People in the UK should be proud that we have one of the best functioning immunisation programmes in the world. But successful vaccines make once-feared diseases disappear and it is all too easy then to forget them. The survivors of meningococcal disease bear very visible scars and can remind us of the importance and value of medical advances that prevent illness rather than trying to fix it when it happens.”
Dr Matthew Snape, Consultant in General Paediatrics and Vaccinology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, said:
“This is fantastic news for children in the UK and for the NHS. To introduce a vaccine against the most common cause of childhood death from infectious disease in this country is clearly a crucial breakthrough in lowering childhood mortality. Developing a vaccine against Meningitis B has been an enormous challenge, and it is great to see that this vaccine will now be available for all 2-month-olds in the UK. Importantly, this vaccine should not only protect against Meningitis B, but also against a newly emergent Meningitis W strain that is causing particularly severe infections.”
Dr Myron Christodoulides, Reader in Molecular Bacteriology and Microbiology at the University of Southampton, said:
“This is welcome news and one would expect that this vaccine will have an immediate impact on meningococcal B disease in the UK; it should reduce cases by at least 70% if not more and it becomes the latest step in our goal to eradicate disease caused by this organism. It will be exciting to look back in a year or two and count the number of children’s lives that have been saved.”
Prof. Richard Moxon, Professor of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, said:
“This represents a milestone in the battle against bacterial meningitis. With the addition of the MenB vaccine, all the major forms of this dreadful disease are preventable. The implications for everyone, especially children and their parents, are far reaching. Once again, the UK is in the forefront of new initiatives to use the benefits of immunisation to improve the health and welfare of its people.”
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Declared interests
Dr Helen Bedford is currently being funded by PHE for a study of parents’ attitudes to MenB disease and vaccine.
Prof Adam Finn: Although AF receives and has received no personal benefits, financial or in kind relating to this or other vaccines, he had been involved in research and development and advisory work over many years, the costs of which were paid to his employers by vaccine manufacturers.
He is a member of the UK government advisory committee (the JCVI) although not at the time of the recommendations relating to this vaccine.
He is also a member of the WHO European Technical Advisory Group of Experts (ETAGE) on immunisation. The opinions expressed are AF’s alone and not those of the JCVI or ETAGE.
Dr Matthew Snape: acts as an investigator for clinical studies from for both non-commercial funding bodies and commercial sponsors (Novartis Vaccines, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Pasteur, Sanofi-PasteurMSD, Pfizer Vaccines and Johnson and Johnson) conducted on behalf of the University of Oxford.
He also undertakes consultancy and advisory work for Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Pfizer and Sanofi-Pasteur; Speaking honoraria and travel and accommodation reimbursements from these organisations are paid to the University of Oxford Department of Paediatrics. Matthew Snape does not receive any personal financial support from vaccine manufacturers.
Dr Myron Christodoulides: MC is current chair of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Panel for MenNow. MC’s research in meningococcal vaccines has been funded by GSK and Mc has provided consultancy to pharmaceutical companies. Any honoraria paid to MC have been administered directly by the University of Southampton and used for research purposes only.
Prof Richard Moxon was involved in the production of the vaccine.