A four year old from Radcliffe, Evie May, has tragically died from meningitis

02 Apr 2019
A four year old from Radcliffe, Evie May, has tragically died from meningitis

Linda Glennie, Director of Research at Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) said, “We are very sad to learn that a four year old little girl has lost her life to meningococcal B meningitis. Our thoughts and condolences go out to Evie’s family and our support team is here for them.

“Anyone with questions or concerns can get in touch with MRF’s free helpline and support team on 080 8800 3344, or helpline@meningitis.org.”

“Meningococcal B infection (MenB) has for decades been the leading cause of meningitis and septicaemia in UK children.

“Introducing the MenB vaccine for babies in 2015 was a major step forward and evidence shows that it is doing an excellent job of reducing MenB cases in children who get vaccinated. However, only about one quarter of all cases occur in the age group eligible for the vaccine, leaving older age groups unprotected from this deadly disease.

“We’re continuing to campaign for fairer decision making when it comes to meningitis vaccines."

“We’re continuing to campaign for fairer decision making when it comes to meningitis vaccines.” - Linda Glennie, MRF

Background

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises UK health departments on immunisation. In 2013, after considering whether a vaccination should be introduced to protect children against MenB, the JCVI expressed concerns that the rules about which vaccines to fund are unfair towards vaccines that prevent severe, fatal and rare disease, and particularly in children.

A working group on Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Policy and Procurement (CEMIPP) was set up to address the issues, and after persistent campaigning from MRF, a report from CEMIPP was finally published in February 2018 and organisations such as MRF were able to consult and provide feedback. 

MRF wrote to the minister in charge of public health, on 18 February 2019 to ask for an update on progress in responding to this consultation.

Linda continued, “We encourage all parents to take up the offer of the vaccines that are included in the routine immunisation schedule for children to prevent some types of meningitis and septicaemia. However, there are not yet vaccines available to prevent all forms of the disease so it is vital that people are aware of the symptoms.”

See the routine immunisation schedule for children in the UK

Helpline
Helpline

The MRF Membership and Support team are here for you for any questions you might have about meningitis and septicaemia and their effects on you or your family and friends.


MRF’s helpline hours are Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

Tel: UK 080 8800 3344/Ireland 1800 41 33 44

Media contact
Elaine Devine - Director of Advocacy, Communications & Support
Tel: 0333 405 6248