Meningitis vaccinations

The importance of immunisation has been highlighted by the announcement that vaccines have halted deaths from meningitis in under 19s.

Immunisation director Professor David Salisbury said in a report that for the first time there were no deaths in this age group from MenC (MeningococcalC/meningitis) last year.

Previously the disease has killed up to 78 people a year and left serious complications such as brain damage in survivors.

Cases of meningitis in children have reduced by 95 per cent since the introduction of the meningococcal C conjugate vaccine in 1999 and over 500 deaths have been prevented.

Since 2006 the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) has prevented an estimated 470 cases of serious illness or deaths in young children from meningitis, septicaemia and severe pneumonia.

"This report highlights some of the recent successes and new challenges for our immunisation programme," said Professor Salisbury.

"However, it is imperative that we continue to do all we can to encourage take-up of vaccines - particularly MMR [measles, mumps and rubella]."

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