Vaccine against meningitis B claimed

THE RETURN of positive results in Britain to researchers attempting to develop a vaccine against a strain of meningitis has been welcomed. However, parents have been cautioned to remain vigilant to signs and symptoms.

Scientists from Oxford University and Manchester Royal Infirmary believe they have discovered an effective vaccine against meningitis B, which accounts for more than half, 150, of the reported cases of the disease in Ireland every year. The researchers say they have obtained powerful immune responses in 150 children on whom the vaccine was tested, suggesting it can protect against the B type of the disease.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord and can be a very serious illness. It kills between 10 and 16 under-fives in Ireland annually.

A vaccine against meningitis C has effectively wiped out the strain among under-10s since it was introduced in 2000.

The Meningitis Trust, a charitable organisation helping people affected by the disease based in Bray Co Wicklow, said it was “absolutely fantastic news”.

General manager Carole Nealon said: “We are delighted by the early signs of success in the development of a vaccine to protect against the meningococcal group B strain of meningitis.”

However, she said the public should not become complacent in looking for symptoms as there were “still many other types of meningitis that remain unprotected against” and because the new vaccine would not be widely available for some three to five years.

“The success of these trials is a positive step forward,” Ms Nealon said, “but we would urge people to remain vigilant.”