Dear <MP> MP,
I am writing to raise the issue of vaccination for meningitis and septicaemia.
As you may be aware, meningitis and septicaemia affects around 3,300 people a year in the UK, killing one in ten and leaving a quarter of survivors with life-long after effects. Few illnesses in Britain can cause such mutilating injuries. Over the last twenty-one years, Meningitis Research Foundation has campaigned to improve early recognition of the diseases and improve treatment, aftercare and support. However, only prevention through immunisation can eliminate meningitis and septicaemia.
Immunisation has been a tremendous success. It has virtually eliminated meningitis and septicaemia due to meningococcal C and Hib (Haemophilus influenzae b) infections, and greatly reduced pneumococcal meningitis. Now there is a vaccine on the horizon against meningococcal B (MenB), for decades the leading cause of life-threatening meningitis and septicaemia in UK children.
Recently, there has been an increasing focus on cost-effectiveness when considering new vaccines – only those that pass stringent evaluation of cost-benefit are introduced. The cost-benefit analyses that underpin the introduction of new vaccines do not consider the full medical, educational and societal costs of the diseases. The existing system for evaluating vaccines focuses on costs to the NHS rather than a wider societal perspective. Vaccines can alleviate a lifelong burden on carers, prevent loss of earnings in those affected, and save major costs to the state, due to educational and social needs as well as medical needs. Therefore, the system for assessing vaccines needs to be much broader to ensure that such horrific diseases can be eliminated from the UK.
Therefore, I would like to urge you to support Meningitis Research Foundation’s Counting the Cost of Meningitis campaign by writing to the Secretary of State for
Health calling for:
• a MenB vaccine to be included in the Childhood Immunisation Schedule as soon as one that is safe and effective is available;
• Government to change its criteria for assessing the value of vaccination for meningitis and septicaemia to include full medical costs, plus social and educational costs of the disease.
I would also be grateful if you could express your support for effective vaccines against meningitis and septicaemia by signing MRF’s petition to the Government calling for the above to be implemented at www.meningitis.org.
Thank you for your time and your consideration of this vital but often overlooked public health issue.
Yours sincerely,
<First name> <Last name>