A major breakthrough in the fight against meningitis has been hailed.
Leading charity the Meningitis Research Foundation welcomed the news that the potentially lifesaving vaccine to prevent MenB was yesterday granted a licence by the European Commission.
The Bexsero vaccine is the first against meningococcal B meningitis and septicaemia (MenB) designed to cover most strains of the disease in Europe.
The vaccine will be considered for use in the UK by the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation which advises the Government.
They meet in June and if they recommend the vaccine, it is likely that the earliest it could be implemented here is late this year.
The news was welcomed by one Fife mum, who knows only too well the dangers of the disease.
Gemma Baxter had to watch her young son Matthew fight for his life after being struck down by MenB.
She said: “Meningitis is a horrendous illness. When my son was diagnosed with MenB meningitis I don’t ever remember feeling as devastated as I did at that point my mind automatically jumped to the worst case scenario.”
Thankfully, Matthew made a relatively good recovery.
The Inverkeithing mum added: “Two and a half years later, I have a gorgeous three and a half year old. He has speech issues and has a vocabulary of only about 20 words but he is improving, thanks to the help of a speech and language therapist.
“He still gets tired very easily, but compared to the outcomes that could have come our way, I’ll take that.
“He was so very ill, and I am so thankful that we still have our gorgeous boy with us.”
Meningitis and septicaemia kill more children under five than any other infectious disease.
Around 1,870 people are affected by MenB in the UK each year on average 117 in Scotland and one in three survivors will be left with after-effects.
These could range from limb amputations to deafness, blindness or brain damage.
Meningitis Research Foundation estimates the lifetime costs of caring and supporting each of those left seriously disabled is £3 million, a huge cost given MenB is vaccine preventable.
The charity’s Scotland manager Mary Millar said the news was a huge boost for members and their families and for doctors and scientists who have all worked tirelessly to overcome the disease.
She said: “Now that the MenB vaccine is licensed, it is essential that Government give it full consideration as soon as possible, especially given the shocking lifetime costs to people who survive MenB and are left with serious, life-long disabilities.”