Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to inform families with young children who were born before the cut-off for the new meningitis B vaccination programme about the symptoms of meningitis.
Jane Ellison
The introduction of meningitis B (MenB) immunisation in September 2015 was supported by a comprehensive media and communications campaign led by Public Health England (PHE) in association with health partners and meningitis charities. Key objectives of this campaign were two-fold: to promote vaccination to parents of eligible children and raise awareness of the disease among parents, and to emphasise that not all strains can be prevented by immunisation. This led to significant coverage of the disease and its symptoms across social media, national, local and parenting media. The coverage included practical advice on recognising the symptoms, and the need to act quickly, supported by interviews with families affected by the disease on major news channels. The introduction of the adolescent MenACWY campaign in August 2015 was supported by a similar campaign that provided further opportunities to raise awareness of meningococcal disease.
PHE also produces a range of leaflets for the public providing detailed information to help parents with young children identify the early signs of meningitis. The leaflets include links to the web sites of meningitis charities and NHS Choices for those parents wishing to access more extensive information about meningococcal disease. PHE also supports influential meningitis charities in the implementation of awareness campaigns. In addition, PHE undertakes detailed surveillance of the disease, publishing routine reports and taking appropriate action to alert the public to any increase in incidence or change in the pattern of the disease. Appropriate media and communications activities are implemented to coincide with these publications, often ahead of the winter, when cases of the disease peak.
