Hunting for vaccine against speedy killer

12:36pm Thursday 25th September 2008

I WAS interested to read your article on August 21 about mum Hannah Barnes who took her son to an out-of-hours surgery twice before doctors diagnosed he had meningitis in his ear.

I am pleased to read that Joseph is now on the road to recovery, despite being given only a 20% chance of survival, and that Hannah is now raising cash through a balloon race to say thank-you to staff at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. We wish Joseph a speedy recovery.

Here at Meningitis UK we sadly know only too well how devastating the disease can be and how quickly it can take hold. Knowing the symptoms and seeking prompt treatment can make a vital difference to the outcome.

However sadly, sometimes even if the symptoms are recognised, prompt treatment sought and the best medical care is given, it is still not enough to save a life.

Meningitis is also often incredibly difficult to detect as the symptoms are hard to distinguish from the common cold and flu, plus there are occasions when people show no or very few symptoms.

For all these reasons, we believe prevention is the only way to truly eradicate the disease and developing a preventative vaccine to protect against all forms of meningitis and its associated diseases is our sole focus at Meningitis UK.

Last year we launched our Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign, which aims to raise £7million to fund lifesaving research into developing a vaccine against Meningitis B – the most common form of meningitis in the UK for which there is currently no vaccine. The number ‘4’ signifies the devastating fact that meningitis can kill in under four hours.

Great advances have been made in the last 20 years including vaccines against Hib, Meningitis C and Pneumococcal Meningitis and our scientists believe that a vaccine can be found within the next few years if we can raise £7million to support the breakthroughs being made.

In the absence of a vaccine, we also distribute a wide range of material to raise awareness of the common symptoms and the need to act quickly, which can mean the difference between life and death.

If any of your readers would like a symptoms information pack, including wallet-sized symptoms cards, or to find out more about supporting our Search for a Vaccine Campaign, they can call Meningitis UK on 0117 373 7373 or visit www.meningitisUK.org NICOLA CLARKE Media Officer, Meningitis UK.

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