Vaccination

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Vaccination a success story
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Newborn babies have some immunity to disease
passed on to them from their mothers
In the last three months of pregnancy, some
antibodies pass from the mother to the unborn
baby
The amount and types of antibodies depend on what
immunity the mother has
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The degree of protection given to the baby by
these antibodies varies
For many diseases, such as whooping cough and
Hib, the mothers antibodies only last a few weeks
This is why our immunisation schedule starts at
2 months of age
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The primary immunisation course is given at 2, 3
and 4 months and consists of
Polio vaccine
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At the start of the 1990s the majority of cases
of bacterial meningitis in the UK were caused by
two bacteria
Neisseria meningitidis groups B and C
Haemophilus influenzae type b
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Haemophilus influenzae type b causes disease in
young children
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In 1992, the Hib vaccine which protects against
Haemophilus influenzae type b disease was
included in the routine primary immunisation
schedule
A graph of the number of disease cases in the
years following, shows a dramatic decrease in the
incidence of disease
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The introduction of the Hib vaccine reduced the
overall levels of meningitis,
But the levels of disease caused by Neisseria
meningitidis continued to increase
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The number of cases of disease caused by N.
meningitidis peaks during the winter months
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Disease caused by N. meningitidis can be divided
into those caused by strains belonging to
different groups of the bacteria
This division is made on the basis of the
capsule, a structure which surrounds the
bacteria, 13 different capsular groups have been
identified to date
In the UK and Europe, group B strains and group C
strains are responsible for 95 of disease
caused by N. meningitidis
Whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, nearly all disease
is caused by group A strains
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In the UK, N. meningitidis disease is associated
with two age groups
Infants and toddlers Following the decrease in
maternal antibodies and before the childs own
immune system is fully active
Young adults Mixing with other young adults at
Colleges and University from different
geographical locations are exposed to bacteria
that are new to their immune system
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A comparison of disease caused by N. meningitidis
groups B and C versus age shows
Group B is responsible for the majority of
disease in babies and toddlers, whilst group C
disease is predominant in young adults
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Research to develop vaccines against N.
meningitidis has been undertaken since the
1960s.
In 1999, the MenC vaccine, which protects against
N. meningitidis group C disease was included in
the primary immunisation schedule.
A graph of the number of disease cases in the
years following, shows a dramatic decrease in the
incidence of disease
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However the levels of disease caused by N.
meningitidis group B strains did not decrease and
may even have increased.
This is why a vaccine that would protect against
disease caused by N. meningitidis group B strains
is very important