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Vaccines against Pneumococcal Meningitis
20/07/2009 20:15:00
Pneumococcal bacteria are responsible for life-threatening infections, including Meningitis, Septicaemia (Blood Poisoning) and Pneumonia.
Collectively these are called Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases (IPD). There are approximately 5000 cases of IPD in children in this Country each year. About 500 of these cases occur in children under the age of 2 years, the remaining 4500 cases occur in children between the ages of 2 and 16. Pneumococcal Meningitis is by far the most common cause of Meningitis for which we have a vaccine. It is the most difficult Meningitis to treat. Despite modern technology, 1 in 10 infected children die, even when treatment is started early. In addition, HALF of those who survive are either severely brain-damaged by the Meningitis, and/or need to have limbs amputated because of the damage caused by the associated blood poisoning (Septicaemia). The NHS vaccine routinely used against IPD is called Prevenar, and is given only to children under 2 years of age. Prevenar protects against only 7 strains of Pneumococcal bacteria. Health Protection Agency (HPA) estimates that Prevenar has prevented approximately 300 deaths, from infections with these 7 strains, in young children since it was introduced in 2006. Unfortunately, since the introduction of Prevenar, the number of cases of IPD caused by the previously rare Pneumococcal strain 1 has risen markedly, resulting in approximately 150 deaths from strain 1 which did not occur prior to the introduction of Prevenar. Strain 1 is NOT one of the seven strains of Pneumococcal bacteria against which Prevenar provides protection. The reason for the increase in numbers of Strain 1 infections is unclear, but the same increase in Strain 1 infections occurred following the introduction of Prevenar into the USA in 1999/2000. In this Country, only those children born after 4th September 2004 have been offered the Prevenar vaccine. Children born before 4th September 2004 therefore have NO protection against Pneumococcal Meningitis. There is no NHS plan to provide Pneumococcal vaccine protection for these children. In my opinion it is morally wrong to deprive these older children of the protection from IPD that their younger brothers and sisters have been offered. There is a cheaper and longer established vaccine against Pneumococcal Meningitis called Pneumovax. Pneumovax protects against 23 strains of Pneumococcal bacteria, including the 7 strains against which Prevenar protects; Pneumovax also protects against Strain 1. Because of the structure of Pneumovax it does not work very well when given under the age of 2. The NHS offers Pneumovax as a routine to all people over 65 years of age, but not to children over 2 years. The only way for parents to provide their older children (born before 4th September 2004) with protection against IPD is to obtain Pneumovax privately. This of course, will provide these older children with the wider protection against 16 more Pneumococcal bacteria Strains (including Strain 1) than the protection against only the 7 strains that their younger brothers and sisters have received from Prevenar. In my opinion, older children who have not received Prevenar purely because of arbitrary age-based decisions (rationing) should receive Pneumovax. In addition, those children who have received Prevenar should also receive Pneumovax, once they are over the age of 2 years, in order to benefit from the much wider protection that Pneumovax offers. For further information please contact this Practice, or visit the HPA website, www.hpa.org.uk/infections, from which I obtained most of the information contained in this leaflet. If you wish your child/children to be better protected, Pneumovax vaccines are available at this Practice. The fee is currently £85. Only one dose is required.
For more infomation, please view the document on the Vaccine Documents / Links page.
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