{"id":488454,"date":"2026-05-17T00:06:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T00:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/488454\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T00:06:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T00:06:18","slug":"charity-chief-calls-for-wider-rollout-of-meningitis-vaccine-the-irish-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/488454\/","title":{"rendered":"Charity chief calls for wider rollout of meningitis vaccine \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The chief executive of a meningitis charity has called for a wider rollout of the vaccine after a college student died from contracting the disease.<\/p>\n

Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now, told the BBC that young lives are \u201cprecious\u201d and we should do \u201ceverything\u201d we can to protect them.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThe argument against the introduction of the menB vaccination for teenagers and young adults is actually around cost-effectiveness.<\/p>\n

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We are urging people to remain vigilant and aware of the signs & symptoms of the disease. Meningitis can become life-threatening very quickly, and early diagnosis and treatment are vital.<\/p>\n

Download or order your signs and symptoms card through our website: https:\/\/t.co\/v4B2t6cpil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/SjwX4FZ1LG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Meningitis Now (@MeningitisNow) May 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe lives of teenagers and young adults are too precious and it is tragic to see yet another death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Look<\/a>\"Hearts<\/a><\/p>\n

His comments come a day after it was confirmed that Lewis Waters, who attended Henley College in Oxfordshire, had died after contracting Meningitis.<\/p>\n

The student was one of three cases reported in the outbreak, which also includes two school pupils in Reading.<\/p>\n

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This situation is yet another reminder of why our \u201cNo Plan B for MenB\u201d campaign is calling for greater protection for young people. MenB is one of the most common causes of bacterial meningitis in the UK. Its impact is life-changing \u2013 and preventable. \u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/TqS4cvF8ea<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tqcftqsf6R<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Meningitis Now (@MeningitisNow) May 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Dr Nutt said that it is known that the vaccine is \u201csafe\u201d and \u201ceffective\u201d, but added: \u201cThe trouble is it\u2019s an expensive vaccine.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the broadcaster, he has called upon the government to consider the wider benefits that could come from rolling the menB vaccination out further.<\/p>\n

\u201cHealth is an asset that we really must protect,\u201d Dr Nutt said.<\/p>\n

In a social media post shared on Friday, Lewis\u2019 father Sean Waters paid tribute to his son and wrote: \u201cWords simply can\u2019t describe the heartbreak and upset we\u2019re going through.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Lewis developed sepsis \u201cwithin a few hours of feeling ill\u201d, adding: \u201cHe fought hard and was really taken care of by the ICU team, but they just couldn\u2019t save him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are absolutely devastated,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He said his son was \u201cfunny, sociable and kind-hearted\u201d, and \u201cloved his sisters, friends and family dearly\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife won\u2019t be the same for many of us now that he\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Friday it emerged that the other two patients being treated for meningitis are pupils at separate schools in the area \u2013 Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre.<\/p>\n

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We are currently working with partners to manage a small cluster of meningitis cases in the Reading area. This is not the same variant of MenB seen in the recent Kent outbreak.<\/p>\n

(1\/3) pic.twitter.com\/XJENR8Qvky<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) May 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The UKHSA said close contacts have been offered antibiotics as a precaution.<\/p>\n

A statement from Henley College said its \u201cthoughts and sincere condolences are with the student\u2019s family and friends at this extremely difficult time\u201d.<\/p>\n

Reading Blue Coat School headmaster Pete Thomas said it has been working closely with UKHSA.<\/p>\n

\"HenleyHenley College in Oxfordshire (Zoe Head-Thomas\/PA) <\/p>\n

Dr Rachel Mearkle, consultant in health protection, said: \u201cWe understand that many people will be affected by this sad news and would like to offer our condolences to the friends and family of this student.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents and staff will naturally be feeling worried about the likelihood of further cases, however meningococcal meningitis requires very close contact to spread and large outbreaks, as we saw in Kent recently, are thankfully rare.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency also confirmed that tests show the infection is not the same strain of meningitis B linked to a fatal outbreak in Kent in March.<\/p>\n

The UKHSA said that information has been shared with the parents and students at all affected schools about the signs of meningitis.<\/p>\n

\"StudentsStudents queued to receive vaccines and antibiotics at the University of Kent campus in Canterbury in March (Gareth Fuller\/PA) <\/p>\n

Symptoms can include a high temperature, severe headache, vomiting, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, confusion, drowsiness, cold hands and feet, severe muscle pain and a rash that does not fade under pressure.<\/p>\n

The menB vaccine has been offered routinely to babies as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme since 2015.<\/p>\n

The outbreak in Kent earlier this year led to the deaths of two people and resulted in thousands being given the menB jab or antibiotics in a bid to curb the spread.<\/p>\n

\"HenleyHenley and Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo called for a vaccine catch-up programme (Zoe Head-Thomas\/PA) <\/p>\n

Freddie van Mierlo, Liberal Democrat MP for Henley and Thame, called on the Government to explore the possibility of a wider catch-up vaccination programme.<\/p>\n

He told the Press Association: \u201cI think what we need to now look at, given what happened in Kent, and now here in Henley, is a wider catch-up vaccination programme.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a cohort of young, young adults at university and at colleges like this who\u2019ve never been vaccinated against meningitis B, who I think now need to be protected. That\u2019s very clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what I\u2019m asking the Government to do is look at procuring a large number of vaccines and rolling that out as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: \u201cWe asked the JCVI for an updated recommendation based on the latest evidence on Meningococcal B \u2013 including following the outbreak in Canterbury.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe JCVI is carrying out a review of eligibility for routine menB vaccination and will provide a further update and advice to the department in due course.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UK has a world-leading national immunisation programme which is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the changing nature of infectious diseases and provide the best protection and outcomes for the public.\u201d<\/p>\n