Following a global shortage of the life-saving MenB vaccine earlier this year, Boots will once again sell the vaccine for those aged 2 to 21 years.
The high-street chain Boots, first launched a MenB vaccination service in November 2015, but had to withdraw it due to a widespread shortage. They have now relaunched the programme, offering the Bexsero vaccine at £95 per dose.
The MenB vaccine was added to the NHS childhood immunisation programme in September 2015, but controversially, is only offered to babies born on or after 1 May 2015 meaning that thousands of children in the UK are not protected from this life-threatening disease.
Recent data published by Public Health England shows that 57% of all MenB cases in 2014/2015 occurred in children under the age of 5 and as MenB is fatal in 1 in 10 cases, there is a real urgency for children of this age group to be protected.
Liz Brown CEO at Meningitis Now said:
“We welcome the fact that supplies of the lifesaving MenB vaccine is returning to Boots UK and other private clinics and hope that this will put downward pressure on pricing and reduce the over-inflated fees being asked in some practices.
“Whilst we recognise and acknowledge that there is a large group of parents that are willing and able to pay for the vaccine privately, we know that there are many that can’t afford to pay.
“In April 2016 the Government decided to ignore the wishes of 823,000 people who had signed the biggest-ever parliamentary petition calling for the Meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine to be extended to all under 5s. Add your child’s name to our open letter to Jeremy Hunt, and give children a voice in the ongoing campaign to get them protected”
Boots UK are generously donating £1 from every jab to Meningitis Now, to help make a difference to the important role the charity plays in funding critical research into the disease and the support they give to families who have been affected.
To register your child to receive the vaccine through Boots UK, visit www.boots.com.
