Government urged to introduce Meningitis B vaccine urgently

We were delighted to hear the long-awaited news that a vaccine for Meningitis B has been given positive opinion by the European Medicines Agency.

This is a big leap forward in the fight against one of the most deadly forms of the disease in Ireland, responsible for an average of 170 cases each year, with most of them involving children. It is warmly welcomed by Meningitis Research Foundation, Ireland’s only national meningitis charity.

Since the first meningitis vaccine was introduced in 1992 many strains, including Hib, Men C and pneumococcal, have been dramatically reduced and we anticipate 73% of Meningitis B strains will be prevented by the new vaccine.