NO meningitis B vaccines are currently available to older children and teenagers in Jersey, the body representing Island GPs has said.
This comes as up to 5,000 of the vaccines – which are normally part of an infant’s standard vaccination programme but not a teenager’s- are being offered to students in Kent after an outbreak which has caused the deaths of two young people.
UK health officials said five new cases of the disease were identified yesterday, taking the total number of confirmed and suspected cases to 20.
In a statement, the Primary Care Body said: “Meningitis B vaccine stocks for babies are in good supply. Families should ensure their children are up to date with all their vaccines.
“There are no meningitis B vaccines available privately at the moment for older children.”
The statement continued that the body is expected to be updated on the state of Jersey’s supplies on Saturday.
There are two different meningitis vaccines: MenACWY, which is offered to teenagers and to those starting university and protects against four of the most common types of bacteria that cause meningitis: A, C, W, and Y.
The MenB vaccine, which protects against another one of the most common strands, has been part of the regular vaccination schedule for infants since 2015 but was not routinely given prior to that.
Public health authorities have said the MenB vaccine is less efficient for older children, teenagers and adults – but the UK-based charity Meningitis Now has called for the MenB vaccine “to be made more widely available to those at risk, especially teenagers and young adults”.
Meanwhile, Public Health Jersey has called for young people to check they have had “all routinely recommended vaccinations, including all meningitis vaccines”.
They added that the MenACWY shot is available for free until the age of 25, and that MenB “is most likely to affect babies and very small children”.
It added: “MenB vaccination is part of the baby and pre-school routine vaccination schedule and was introduced in 2015. Extensive reviews of the efficiency of the MenB vaccine by the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation show that vaccination reduces the disease in infants, however, it does not stop the spread of the bacteria among teenagers.
“At present, there is no recommendation from Public Health Jersey for MenB vaccination outside of the routine childhood immunisation schedule. A limited supply of MenB vaccination may be available from Primary Care and can be issued if after a consultation it is deemed appropriate.”
Yesterday, Public Health director Professor Peter Bradley said that the risk to Islanders “remains very low” and noted that Jersey “continues to have good vaccination rates among children and young people”.
