Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSThree quarters of parents confused over meningitis vaccine
More than half of parents wrongly believe that their child has been vaccinated against all strains of meningitis, a poll has revealed.
The majority (51%) said they thought their child had had jabs against all strains of the disease and just under a quarter (24%) were unsure. Jabs do protect against some strains of the disease, such as meningitis C, Hib and pneumococcal meningitis, but there is no vaccine against the most common and deadly form, meningitis B.
Meningitis UK commissioned the poll to highlight the disease, which peaks in February. Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 62% were unaware there is no vaccination for meningitis B.
Steve Dayman, the charity’s chief executive, said: “If a parent wrongly believes their child is protected, they could become complacent and not react quickly enough when the early signs of the disease are developing.
“A delay in seeking treatment could be fatal because meningitis can kill in under four hours.
“These results have made us even more determined to find a vaccine to eradicate all forms of meningitis and protect future generations.”
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