Charity welcomes improvements to MenC vaccination schedule

10 May 2013

Meningitis Research Foundation welcomes today’s news regarding improvements to the MenC vaccination schedule that will maintain protection against meningococcal C meningitis and septicaemia with a new teenage booster.

Meningitis and septicaemia are the illnesses most feared by parents, killing more children under five than any other infectious disease in the UK. The MenC vaccine has prevented over 13,000 cases and saved over 1,300 lives since it was introduced 1999. Nowadays there are just a handful of cases of MenC each year.

However, research now shows that direct protection the vaccine provides against MenC declines by the teenage years. A booster dose in early adolescence will extend protection later into life. Teenagers are the second most at-risk age group for MenC and are more likely to carry the germ than younger children or older adults. As the vaccine prevents carriage of MenC, vaccinating teenagers will not only protect this vulnerable age group, but will also stop the germ from spreading and protect the wider population.

Research has also shown that one dose of MenC vaccine in the first year of life provides the same protection as two doses, so the dose currently given at four months will be dropped starting this summer.

Currently children get three doses of MenC vaccine at three, four and twelve-thirteen months of age, but from 1 June 2013, they will have two doses at three and twelve-thirteen months. Starting next academic year, a booster dose of MenC vaccine will be offered to school children at twelve-fourteen years of age.

‘MenC vaccination has been hugely successful and saved many lives,’ said Chris Head, Chief Executive of Meningitis Research Foundation. ‘We are proud to have played our part by promoting the vaccine and funding research to understand immunity to MenC.

The Government is responding to important research evidence by adjusting the immunisation schedule, which will extend protection against MenC so that more lives will be saved. The recent measles outbreak shows how important vaccine protection is, so we urge every parent to make sure they understand the changes and ensure their children are up to date with their immunisations.’

Meningitis Research Foundation has a dedicated MenC page online at: www.meningitis.org/menc-booster There is also a free telephone helpline: 080 8800 3344