Meningtis B vaccine coming to Scotland in September

A new vaccination to combat meningitis B is being added to route vaccinations for babies in Scotland.

From this September it will be offered to all youngsters who are 2 months old when the inoculation when it's introduced. It will administered in 3 doses at two, four and 12 months. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has also advised that when the programme starts there should be a one-off, catch-up programme from infants aged three and four months of age, who will be attending for their routine vaccinations.

Gemma Lessells from Inverkeithing son Matthew contracted Meningitis B in 2010 when he was just 13 months old. She told us about what happened. She said: "He was quiet and had a temperature at 4pm. He started being sick at 6 pm and by 10 pm he was in hospital fighting for his life. He had cannulas everywhere, they were taking his blood pressure every 15 minutes. His heart rate was 210 and his temperature on admission was 40.9. “We were incredibly lucky - Matthew survived, though has delayed expressive speech and suffered night terrors following his hospital stay.

"We are also in the process of discussing possible behavioural side effects with his Health Visitor, but other than that we have a gorgeous healthy happy boy with a laugh that lights up a room.

"I would not want any parent or child to go through what we did, and welcome news of the implementation of these two new vaccines in Scotland.”

A second vaccine called MenACWY is also being introduced to replace the MenC vaccine in the adolescents and freshers vaccination programmes, and will be offered to students under the age of 25 years old and attending university for the first time Autumn, along with a catch-up programme for all 14 to 18 year olds.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “These two new vaccination programmes will offer families in Scotland extra peace of mind. "We’re delighted to be one of the first countries in the world to introduce a nationwide MenB vaccination programme to help tackle the effects of this disease, which can be devastating for children and their families. “The Scottish Government has been consistent in its support for the introduction of this vaccine and today’s announcement underlines our commitment to ensuring the health and wellbeing of our children. “Around 1,200 people - mainly babies and children - get meningitis B each year in the UK, and around one in 10 die from the infection. “I am also very pleased to see the expedited launch of the MenW vaccine prevention programme for teenagers. This vaccine also protects against MenA, MenC and MenY, making sure young people are protected at such an important time in their academic lives.” Chief Executive of Meningitis Now, Sue Davie said: “We’re delighted to see these vaccination programmes moving forward and offering protection to new babies and young people across Scotland. Today’s announcement is a tribute to the tireless and selfless efforts of our supporters, for many of whom sadly these vaccines come too late. We are ready to support the introductions in any way we can."