Positive progress has been announced today in the development of a vaccine to eradicate deadly disease Meningitis B.

The latest data supporting pharmaceutical company Novartis' potential vaccine for the killer strain was revealed at the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) in The Hague.

It shows that the vaccine, called 4CMenB, guarded against 80 per cent of the 1000 strains collected from across Europe.

The study showed the vaccine worked safely alongside other vaccines when tested on 1,800 infants across Europe.

Another study involving 1,500 toddlers showed the vaccine provides protection when used as a booster.

Meningitis B is the most common form of bacterial meningitis in this country and is also one of the most deadly, in some cases killing in less than four hours.

Vaccine research charity Meningitis UK welcomed the news and says the vaccine has the potential to save thousands of lives in the future.

The 4CMenB vaccine is awaiting authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) before it can be considered for introduction into the Routine Immunisation Programme in the UK.

Successful vaccines exist against some forms of meningitis, including Hib, Meningitis C and pneumococcal meningitis but, due to its complex nature, Meningitis B has been the hardest to immunise against and as yet there is no vaccine in use in the UK.

Across the UK there are in excess of 1,200 cases of meningitis B each year, resulting in some 120 deaths and around 250 children left with serious life-long complications such as limb amputations, blindness, deafness and brain damage.

Steve Dayman, the chief executive of Meningitis UK who lost his own son Spencer to the disease in 1982, has dedicated the last 28 years of his life to fundraising and campaigning to eradicate the killer disease.

He said: "This data is a very positive step in the fight to eradicate Meningitis B which is the biggest killer of all types of meningitis in the UK.

"It is anticipated that the EMA licence decision will be made around Christmas this year. There are still a number of questions to be answered about the vaccine and we are extremely hopeful that the decision will be positive.

"This vaccine is the first of its kind and has the potential to save thousands of lives."

Meningitis UK's Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign aims to raise £7million to help fund cutting-edge research to eradicate all forms of meningitis.

Meningitis Fact Box

- Classic symptoms include a headache, stiff neck and a dislike of bright light. Other symptoms can include difficulty supporting own weight, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea, confusion and drowsiness.

- It can cause septicaemia, which leads to aching limbs, cold hands and feet and a rash.

- Meningitis can affect anyone of any age, however babies, children under the age of five, young people aged 16-24 and the elderly are most at risk.

- Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining that covers the brain and spinal cord.

- There are approximately 3,000 cases of all forms of meningitis recorded in the UK every year. Of these, around 300 people die and hundreds more are left with permanent disabilities.

- Every week, six families face the traumatic loss of a loved one to meningitis.

- No vaccine exists for Meningitis B, which is the most common form of the disease - accounting for 90% of meningococcal cases.

- It can kill in under four hours, which is why prompt medical treatment is so important.

Source:
Meningitis UK