Meningitis B vaccine rollout begins for young people in Wales
Young people in Wales are being offered the meningitis B vaccine from today as part of a nationwide rollout ahead of the new academic year.
The jab is being offered to anyone born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008.
It is also being offered to anyone under 25 who is starting residential further or higher education for the first time this autumn.
Meningitis B is the most common cause of invasive meningococcal disease in the UK.
It can lead to meningitis and sepsis, both of which can be life threatening.
The vaccine has been offered routinely to babies since 2015.
It is now being extended to older teenagers and young adults after a meningitis B outbreak among university students in Kent, according to Public Health Wales.
Public Health Wales said students starting university are around seven times more likely to contract meningitis B than others, largely because of shared accommodation and close social contact.
More than 8,000 people in North Wales have been invited to appointments at one of 25 vaccination centres across the region.
Anyone under 25 starting residential further or higher education this autumn who has not received a letter can contact their health board to find out where to get vaccinated locally.
The vaccine is given as two doses, one month apart.
Both doses are needed for full protection.
Students who move away for university can get their second dose in their new home town, even if that is in a different UK nation.
Dr Christopher Johnson, head of the vaccine preventable disease programme at Public Health Wales, said the rollout marked an important moment for young people in Wales.
“We are urging everyone who has received an offer from their health board to come forward and get vaccinated, and to make sure they come back for that second dose,” he said.
“Two doses are what gives you the full protection you need. This vaccination could save your life.”
Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health, Nerys Evans, said the Welsh Government had acted to protect a group facing a heightened risk.
“We have acted decisively to make sure this group receives the protection they need, and I now urge every eligible young person to take up their vaccination offer, and to make sure they return for that essential second dose,” she said.
Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now, welcomed the programme but said protection should not stop there.
“This NHS programme is a hugely positive step and we are proud to support it,” he said.
“That’s why our ‘No Plan B for MenB’ campaign continues to call for a routine adolescent MenB vaccination programme, so future generations of young people receive this protection as part of everyday NHS immunisation.”
Public Health Wales said the vaccine does not protect against every strain of meningitis.
It is urging everyone, vaccinated or not, to know the signs and symptoms of the disease, which can progress rapidly.
Symptoms include a severe headache, a high temperature, a stiff neck, sensitivity to light or noise, vomiting, seizures, a rash that does not fade under a glass, confusion or drowsiness, and cold hands and feet or pale, blotchy skin.
Not everyone develops all of these symptoms, and they can appear in any order.
Anyone who develops these symptoms is advised to call 999 or go to their nearest emergency department immediately, without waiting for a rash to appear.
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