Meningitis B vaccine

There was a lot of social media talk about Men B vaccine couple of months ago. Now the Vaccine has become available privately. 2-3 doses are required with at-least a 2 month interval between the doses.

Babies and children born before 1 May 2015 will not be offered any doses of the vaccine on the NHS.Babies are at the highest risk of contracting meningococcal disease with peak incidence occurring at around 5 months of age. This is why the vaccine is offered early at 2 and 4 months followed by a booster at 12 months.

Children older than 5 months of age are still at risk of disease, but their risk is substantially lower than that of younger babies which is why routine vaccination on the NHS is focussing on the youngest age groups.

Fever is more common in babies when Men B is given as compared to other vaccines. Taking paracetamol as soon as possible after getting vaccinated (or at the same time) reduces the likelihood and severity of fever without affecting the immune response to any of the vaccines. It will also reduce any pain, redness and swelling that vaccination may cause.