As we know there has been media coverage this weekend of an outbreak off Meningitis type B in a group of Uk students .
Its seems this was a group of young people who attended the same event and so were connected to each other .
Meningitis Type B ( meningococcal ) is not a virus , therefore does not transmit as easily as for example Covid 19 .
It is a potentially very dangerous illness , but antibiotics work well for those who are close contacts of cases and for those who are diagnosed .
- Men B vaccine was only added to the National Childhood immunisation Schedule for babies born after October 2016 ( currently oldest would be aged 9 years as of 2026 ) , so most teenagers are unvaccinated unless they had it done privately.
- All Children born after October 2016 and attended for childhood immunisations would have received a vaccine at 2 and 4 months and then a booster at 12 months.
- There is currently no free catch-up campaign for older children.
- Please note in first year of secondary school the Men ACWY vaccine would have been offered to teens.This protects against 4 other strains but not Men B .
Parents can still choose to have older children vaccinated privately . The course usually consists of 2 doses given at least one month apart . Please contact the surgery for more details and to order vaccine.
Close contacts or outbreak events :
In the event of a confirmed case or outbreak of meningococcal B the vaccine is provided free of charge by the HSE , but only for specific people identified as being at high risk .
Signs and Symptoms ( all ages )
Early signs often mimic a cold , Flu or hangover which can lead to delays in treatment .
- High Fever , cold hands and feet
- Severe headache
- Stiff neck
- Light sensitivity
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
- Confusion and drowsiness
- Muscle and joint pain
- Rash that may look like parole blotches or bruises.The Glass test -> the rash does not fade when you press a clear glass firmly against it.
Please note partially or even fully vaccinated babies could still get Men B Meningitis , though the risk is much lower with the vaccine . Signs can be irritability , high pitched cry , bulging soft spot in the scalp , not feeding etc .
Further Information from HSE -> https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/vaccinepreventable/bacterialmeningitis/factsheets/