£200K SHOT IN ARM TO COMBAT MENINGITIS B

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£200K SHOT IN ARM TO COMBAT MENINGITIS B

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KATHARINE BARKER

11:00 - 15 February 2006

Bristol-based charity Meningitis UK is awarding £200,000 to researchers at

Bristol University to find a vaccination against the most common strain of

the disease.

The funds will go to Heyderman - professor of infectious disease and

international health - and his team at the School of Medical Science at the

university who are working to find a vaccination against meningitis B. The

money is part of a grant of £500,000 from the charity in Downend that is

being split between three universities in the country.

It follows the Government's announcement this week that a new vaccine to

protect against pneumococcal meningitis will be introduced into the UK's

childhood immunisation programme from April.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining that covers the brain and the

spinal cord.

Meningococcal septicaemia occurs when poisons caused by the meningococcal

bacteria get into and poison the blood.

A vaccine to protect against meningitis C was introduced in 1999 and is

offered to everyone up to the age of 25, but there is no vaccine available

to protect against the most common form of the disease in the UK -

meningitis B.

Meningitis UK's chief executive Steve Dayman lost his 14-month-old son

Spencer in 1982 to meningitis B and meningococcal septicaemia.

The charity now funds research into finding a vaccine to eradicate all forms

of meningitis and works to raise public awareness.

Mr Dayman said finding a vaccination against the B strain would be the

biggest breakthrough since the polio vaccination was introduced.

He said: " Our vision is a vaccine to eradicate meningitis altogether and the

introduction of a vaccine to protect against pneumococcal meningitis is

another significant step towards our goal.

" The reason why we are investing a further half a million pounds is because

there is still no vaccine to protect against the most common form of

meningitis.

" To enable us to keep funding their vital work, we desperately need public

support. "

The charity would like to hear from families who have been affected by

meningitis or anyone who would like to support Meningitis UK.