THE mothers of Charlotte Nott and Daisy Pashley have called on the Government to change their decision not to introduce a vaccine that protects against Meningitis B.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a body that advises the Government, said in a draft statement published on Wednesday that Bexsero was not cost-effective and should not be introduced.
Jenny Daniels, mum to Charlotte, told the Oxford Mail: “The Government do not want to spend money on certain things.”
Ms Daniels, from Cowley, added: “I think they should introduce the vaccine. It will save lives. It will stop children from having life-long disabilities and going through the trauma Charlotte and Daisy went through.
“It will save costs in the long term because of the after-effects.
“And don’t forget the people who lost their lives. We are the lucky ones.
“How can they put a price on a child’s life?”
Lorna Pashley, from Chipping Norton, who is mum to Daisy, 10, said: “I think it should be introduced as soon as possible. The same could happen to another child that happened to Daisy and that needs to be stopped.”
Director of Immunisation for the Department of Health, ProfDavid Salisbury, said: “This is a very difficult situation where we have a new vaccine against Meningitis B but we lack important evidence.
“We need to know how well it will protect, how long it will protect and if it will stop the bacteria from spreading.
“We need to work with the scientific community and the manufacturer to find ways to resolve these uncertainties.”
Meningitis Trust has launched a petition calling for the vaccine to be introduced.
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