Meningitis B: What Are The Symptoms, How Is It Spread And Is There A Vaccine?

What is meningitis B?

Meningitis is an infection of nan protective lining of nan encephalon and spinal cord. It is caused by different germs and viruses. Meningitis B, known arsenic MenB, is nan astir communal shape of invasive meningococcal disease. It is caused by nan Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, besides known arsenic nan meningococcus.

This germs usually lives harmlessly successful people’s throats, but tin origin life-threatening illness if it gets into nan humor aliases spinal fluid.

What are nan symptoms?

MenB tin advancement rapidly. Early symptoms are not ever present, but tin see a abrupt precocious fever, a stiff neck, terrible and worsening headache and a rash that does not slice erstwhile pressed pinch a glass. They tin besides see aversion to agleam lights, vomiting and diarrhoea, seizures, associated and musculus pain, delirium and utmost sleepiness.

How superior is it?

MenB tin beryllium fatal. The meningococcal germs tin origin inflammation of nan lining of nan encephalon and septicaemia, which tin quickly lead to sepsis. If caught early and treated pinch antibiotics, astir group will make a afloat recovery. But astir 1 successful 10 group infected die, and it tin origin semipermanent complications specified arsenic proceeding loss, amputation, epilepsy aliases learning disabilities.

How contagious is it?

MenB is dispersed by prolonged and adjacent interaction – typically done coughing, sneezing and kissing. According to Prof Paul Hunter astatine nan Norwich School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, teenagers’ accrued consequence is often associated pinch moving distant from location and surviving successful crowded conditions.

“About 10% of group transportation nan germs astatine immoderate 1 clip and this is moreover higher in adolescents,” he said. “The infection is dispersed betwixt group during adjacent interaction specified arsenic surviving successful nan aforesaid family aliases whilst kissing (mouth to mouth).”

He added: “There is simply a lag from vulnerability to erstwhile group get ill, which is typically nether a week, but tin beryllium arsenic agelong arsenic 10 days.

“If you had a azygous case, you would thin to only interaction nan family and springiness antibiotics to them. If you had 2 cases successful a class, successful a school, you would springiness antibiotics to nan full class. If you had 2 cases successful a school, not successful nan aforesaid class, you would springiness antibiotics to nan full school.

“When you realise you person a important problem, getting antibiotics into group is important. You tin spell from being mildly sick stepping astir to being dormant successful little than a day.”

Hunter said that seeing a cluster of cases was not unusual, pinch 300-400 cases of invasive meningitis typically recorded successful a year. “We spot clusters each nan time,” he said. “What’s different is nan size of this cluster. That’s nan scary thing.”

It is not clear what has led to specified a ample outbreak. “It could beryllium that location is simply a caller much virulent strain, aliases owed to what was happening astatine nan nightclub,” Hunter said.

How is it treated?

Treatment for meningitis includes antibiotics, intravenous fluids, oxygen if location are breathing difficulties, and successful immoderate cases steroid medicine to forestall swelling astir nan brain.

Is location a vaccine?

Since 2015, nan MenB vaccine is offered to babies astatine 8 weeks, pinch a 2nd dose astatine 12 weeks and booster astatine 1 year. Other regular puerility jabs, including nan 6-in-1 and pneumococcal vaccines, tin protect against meningitis. The MenACWY vaccine, which covers 4 different meningococcal groups, is offered to teenagers successful schoolhouse years 9 and 10, and tin beryllium fixed until nan property of 25. But teenagers calved earlier 2015 are unvaccinated against MenB.

Why haven’t teenagers been vaccinated?

The Joint Committee connected Vaccines and Immunisation committee recommends which vaccinations should beryllium fixed to which people, based connected latest investigation connected prevalence, effectiveness of nan vaccine and costs effectiveness.

Despite MenB accounting for 80% of cases of invasive meningococcal disease, until now, nan JCVI has not deemed MenB vaccination to beryllium cost-effective for teenagers because it doesn’t forestall nan germs from spreading from 1 personification to another, it doesn’t target against each nan different B germs strains and doesn’t protect for peculiarly agelong either. 

Meningitis Now says young group should beryllium vaccinated against meningitis B connected nan NHS, pinch nan astir astatine consequence inoculated first, followed by a booster programme for teenagers from 2030. Private jabs should besides beryllium made much affordable, it argues. Private meningitis B vaccinations costs betwixt £100 and £120 a dose successful nan UK, pinch a afloat two-dose people costing astir £200-£240. Boots offers 2 doses for £220.

Should teenagers surviving adjacent nan Kent outbreak beryllium vaccinated?

Some experts judge that catchup jabs could thief trim nan consequence of further outbreaks. Prof Emma Wall, objective investigation group leader astatine nan Crick, and objective professor of infectious diseases astatine nan Blizard Institute, QMUL, said: “Vaccination tin beryllium a very useful instrumentality to trim onward transmission of this germs and trim nan consequence of a secondary outbreak successful students aliases related communities. Protection from nan vaccine is rapid.” 

What should you do if you deliberation you’ve been exposed to MenB?

The UKHSA says that anyone who becomes unwell pinch symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia should activity aesculapian thief urgently astatine nan closest A&E aliases by dialling 999. Those who attended Club Chemistry successful Canterbury betwixt 5 and 7 March should travel guardant for antibiotic treatment.