We have welcomed today’s announcement from the Welsh Government of £7.7 million funding so all babies in the country can be vaccinated against MenB
Sue Davie said: “It’s great to see the Welsh Government taking steps to make this vaccine available and helping to protect the health of babies"
“We’d urge them to implement this programme as soon as possible, because any further delays will only mean more unnecessary deaths from this devastating disease"
“Now that we’ve come this far let’s take that final step. As the country’s biggest charity fighting the disease we stand ready to support the roll out in any way we can.”
Meningitis Now has played a significant part in researching and developing the MenB vaccine since it started in 1986 and has had a leading role in uniting supporters and politicians to lobby Government to get it free to all UK babies through its Beat it Now! campaign.
Today’s announcement comes a week after UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that negotiations with manufacturer GSK for the lifesaving vaccine had concluded successfully and over one year after the vaccine, the UK’s first for MenB, was recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for use in the UK’s childhood immunisation schedule.
Sue added: “Today’s news does not protect many others from contracting the disease though and there are still strains of meningitis that do not have a vaccine".
“Even in this time of good news, we must remind people to remain vigilant for the signs and symptoms and, if they suspect meningitis, seek medical help immediately.”