Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, has joined calls for the Government to think again on the availability of the new meningitis B vaccination during a debate in Parliament yesterday (25th April).
Meningitis B (MenB) is a potentially fatal bacterial infection which mostly affects babies, toddlers and adolescents, with some 535 recorded cases in 2013. Since September 2015, all babies under the age of one have been offered the vaccine on the NHS in three doses, at 2, 4 and 12 months. The UK is the first country in the world to add the MenB vaccine to its routine immunisation programme, but the vaccination is currently only offered to this age group following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) recommendation to Government that anything beyond this would not be considered ‘cost effective.’
However, an online petition, started by Gateshead dad Lee Booth and calling for the MenB vaccine to be extended to other children, secured a record 823,345 signatures. This resulted in the House of Commons Petitions Committee, of which Catherine is a member, taking oral evidence from Mr Booth and families affected by MenB, before scheduling yesterday’s 3-hour debate in Parliament.
Intervening during this debate, Catherine raised concerns that children under five are not always able to communicate their symptoms – critical for an infection that can have such devastating effects, so quickly:
‘We [the Petitions Committee] heard evidence from the parents of Faye Burdett, who made it very clear how fast the disease can strike, and how vital it is that meningitis is treated as quickly as possible to minimise damage. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, as we heard in evidence, children under the age of five have difficulty communicating the symptoms that they are experiencing, and that is one of the factors that should be taken into account very carefully when considering extending the vaccination programme to those in that age group? They cannot communicate, which delays the delivery of the medical treatment that they so vitally need.’
The Newcastle North MP also highlighted the need for increased awareness about MenB and all of its symptoms both for parents and medical staff, before going on to stress that the long-term impact of MenB on survivors must be considered when the JCVI reviews the vaccine’s cost-effectiveness:
‘My understanding – I would be grateful if the Minister would clarify this in her response – is that in calculating the cost-effectiveness of the meningitis B vaccination, the JCVI has not fully considered the potential outcome for those children who contract meningitis but survive and the long-term costs for them and their families for the rest of their lives. Such costs are often borne by the state, so, along with the factors that the hon. Lady is outlining, there are other financial costs that have perhaps not been considered fully.’
Those that survive MenB can be left with a major disability – including amputations and brain damage – or psychological disorders and reduced IQ.
Following the debate, Catherine said:
‘The Petitions Committee heard extremely powerful evidence from those affected by this terrible infection, which really called into question how we measure the costs effectiveness of new medical treatments.
‘As a parent, the thought of your child contracting an infection like meningitis B is the stuff of nightmares, and the families we spoke to emphasised just how quickly and tragically it can develop.
‘We all know that young children struggle to communicate their symptoms at the best of times, so the Government really must look again at extending the vaccine at least to the under-5s. It’s also clear Ministers that should be taking a long-term view when considering the issue of cost-effectiveness, with those surviving MenB often left with lifelong disabilities with huge social and financial implications both for themselves and the NHS.’