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The government has announced the launch of MenB and MenACWY vaccine programmes to protect babies and young people against the meningococcal bacterium, that will run from August 2015.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-programmes-to-protect-against-meningitis-and-septicaemia
Prof Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics, University of Bristol, said:
“Vaccines have triumphed over many former killers of children, like polio, whooping cough and diphtheria. Meningitis has been a harder nut to crack with many different bacterial causes. These two new vaccine programmes are the next steps in the fight to eliminate this dreadful disease and, as previously, the UK is leading the way.”
Dr Matthew Snape, Consultant in General Paediatrics and Vaccinology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, said:
“The introduction of the MenB and MenACWY vaccines represents an important breakthrough in the prevention of childhood meningitis. As we get closer towards the ultimate goal of complete prevention, it is timely to remember that there are thousands of children, teenagers and young adults alive today who would not be with us if it weren’t for the introduction of other vaccines against meningitis over the last 25 years. The very nature of vaccine prevention means these children and their parents won’t know who they are, but the cumulative benefit of these immunisation programmes is immense.”
Dr Tarit Mukhopadhyay, Lecturer, Vaccine Bioprocess Development, UCL, said:
“Expanding the immunisation programme to include MenW as part of the combined polysaccharide vaccine and especially MenB is a welcome decision.
“Even though MenB cases are small and in certain cases declining, this is a disease that overwhelming affects children and represents a decision that where an effective vaccine is available it should be made accessible to all parents who want it.
“Cases of MenW have been spiking recently and so, as new groups of university students start in September, knowing that vaccine coverage has expanded to include this strain will increase reassurance in the effectiveness of vaccination.”
Dr Myron Christodoulides, Reader in Molecular Bacteriology and Microbiology, University of Southampton, said:
“Finally, ground-breaking decisions in the fight against meningococcal infection; these new vaccines should have significant impact on disease caused by the ACWY serogroups in older students and the introduction of the Bexsero MenB vaccine into the infant immunisation program should finally give piece of mind to new parents, who have feared this particular bacterial group for some time.
“Whilst I am confident of an immediate impact of the conjugate vaccines in the older student population, we will only know how efficacious the MenB vaccine is probably by early/mid next year. This will be an exciting time for all of us – families, doctors, scientists and the meningitis charities, who have campaigned for introduction of this particular vaccine.”
Declared interests
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: Matthew Snape acts as an investigator for clinical studies for both noncommercial funding bodies and commercial sponsors (GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Pasteur, Sanofi-PasteurMSD, Pfizer Vaccines and Johnson and Johnson) conducted on behalf of the University of Oxford. He is also a member of the Meningitis Research Foundation Medical Advisory board and has received research funding from Meningitis Now. He has also undertaken 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 Tarit Mukhopadhyay: “I am a paid employee of UCL and currently working on an EU FP7 project on universal flu. In the past (2002-2004) I have worked on a MenB vaccine based on N. lactamica, while working with the UK Health Protection Agency.”
Dr Myron Christodoulides: Myron Christodoulides (MC) is currently the chair of the scientific and medical advisory panel of MeningitisNow. He has received honoraria from Novartis Pharamceuticals for expert opinion and all honoraria were paid into university accounts for research use only. MC is a named inventor on patents held by the University of Southampton and has received research funding from GlaxoSmithKline to develop new MenB vaccines. No other competing interests or declarations.