I took Lucas for his second Meningitis B vaccine on Thursday. He was very brave, let out a small noise and that was it, no tears. He was happy with the lolly and ‘brave as a lion’ sticker he was given from the nurse.
Meningococcal group B bacteria is a serious cause of life-threatening infections, including meningitis and blood poisoning, worldwide and the leading infectious killer of babies and young children in the UK.
There are 12 known groups of meningococcal bacteria, and group B (Men B) is responsible for about 90% of meningococcal infections in the UK.
Meningitis and septicaemia caused by meningococcal group B bacteria can affect people of any age, but is most common in babies and young children.
Meningococcal infections tend to come in bursts. In the past 20 years, between 500 and 1,700 people every year, mainly babies and young children, have suffered from Men B disease, with around 1 in 10 dying from the infection. Many of those who survive suffer terrible permanent disability, such as amputation, brain damage and epilepsy.’ NHS
If your child was born on or after 1st May 2015 they will be offered the vaccine through the NHS at 2 months and 4 months with a booster at 12 months along with their other routine vaccinations.
If your child was born before this, as Lucas was, you can choose to find a clinic and pay privately. Boots offer it to children over 2, as Lucas isn’t 2 yet, I had to search for somewhere which wasn’t easy as my own doctor didn’t even know where I would be able to get it done. Eventually I found a clinic that would and he had his first around October. You have to wait 8 weeks from having the first vaccine to the second vaccine. The vaccination cost varies clinic to clinic, ours cost £120 per vaccine so £240 in total. It gives 90% protection against the meningococcal group B bacteria and covers him for life.