THE MERIDEN and Solihull East MP is calling on the government to take swift action to protect vulnerable groups during the meningitis outbreak.
Saqib Bhatti has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, James Murray, backing calls from Meningitis Now, the world’s first meningitis patient group and the UK’s only dedicated charity to fighting meningitis.
In his letter Mr Bhatti urges the Government to follow the charity’s three step approach to tackling meningitis outbreaks.
Firstly to extend the MenB vaccination to all those at highest risk, commit to introducing a national MenB booster programme for adolescents by 2030 and make MenB vaccines accessible on the high street at a fair and affordable price.
The Conservative MP said: “It is paramount that the Government take urgent action to protect young people against the spread of MenB. Meningitis is a devastating illness that can have the most tragic consequences if patients do not have adequate protection and I pay tribute to those who have sadly lost their lives during the MenB outbreak.
“Now I urge the Government to take the necessary measures to protect young people by making MenB vaccinations more affordable and accessible, as highlighted in Meningitis Now’s No Plan B for MenB campaign.”
In recent months, the UK has been subject to an outbreak of group B meningococcal bacteria, involving clusters of cases among young people, mainly in Kent and Reading.
The outbreak has taken three lives, with UKHSA chief executive, Susan Hopkins, describing the spread as “unprecedented.”
In the United Kingdom, the MenB (meningitis B) vaccines has been routinely offered to babies since 2015.
However, many teenagers and young adults, who did not seek private provision or were not vaccinated through subsequent targeted programmed, remain unprotected and vulnerable to meningitis.
