According to the NHS around 1,200 people get meningitis B every year. The disease kills roughly 1 in 10 of those who are infected. Many who survive are permanently disabled.
The most common complication of meningitis is hearing loss. According to Meningitis Now difficulties can range from mild hearing loss through to profound deafness in one or both ears. 80% of survivors will experience some level of hearing loss.
Meningitis mainly affects babies and children. So it’s good news that, from September this year, all babies in England and Scotland will be offered vaccination against meningitis B. The injections will be added to the childhood immunisation programme, which parents are offered for all babies.
The programme already includes vaccination against meningitis C, another form of the disease. The NHS in Wales and Northern Ireland will be offering the jab too, but they haven’t yet said when they will begin.
Older children will also be given greater protection against other strains of meningitis. In August a combined vaccination against meningitis A, C W and Y will be offered to all 17 and 18 year olds at school and to all 19-25 year old students starting university.
The Deaf Health Charity Sign Health has worked with Meningitis Now to make information on meningitis accessible to Deaf people. A series of BSL videos, which can be viewed on the SignHealth website, explain who is at risk, how to spot symptoms and what can happen after someone has had meningitis.