UK rejects meningitis B vaccine
By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News
The only vaccine to protect against a deadly form of meningitis should not be introduced in the UK, the body that advises governments on immunisation says.
About 1,870 people contract meningitis B each year and one in 10 dies.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said the vaccine, Bexsero, was not cost-effective and should not yet be adopted by the NHS.
Meningitis charities have been campaigning for it to be introduced.
It is mostly children under five who are at risk from the bacterial infection, which leads to inflammations of the brain and spinal cord.
Of those who survive a meningitis B infection, one in four is left with life altering after-effects such as brain damage or limb loss.
There are vaccines against other forms of meningitis, but the jab
developed by Novartis is the only one thought to protect against
meningitis B.
Tests have suggested the vaccine is effective against 73% of the different strains of the disease. It was licensed for use in Europe in January 2013.
However, there are questions about the effectiveness as very large trials would be needed to show how it affects the number of cases or how it would control the spread of the bacterium. So far no country has introduced the vaccine.
The JCVI said: “On the basis of the available evidence, routine infant or toddler immunisation using Bexsero is highly unlikely to be cost effective at any vaccine price based on the accepted threshold for cost effectiveness used in the UK and could not be recommended.”
Meningitis
Prof David Salisbury, the director of immunisation at the Department of Health, 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 from person to person.
“We need to work with the scientific community and the manufacturer to find ways to resolve these uncertainties so that we can come to a clear answer.”
The UK introduced a vaccine against another form of the disease, meningitis C, in 1999. There used to be around 1,000 cases a year, but now the disease affects only a handful of people.
Tilly Lockey, from County Durham, had meningitis B. Her mum Sarah
supports the introduction of a vaccine after her family’s experience.
She told the BBC: “She was just suddenly crying out for me `mummy, mummy, mummy’ to being blue grey mottled skin, to just going unconscious and me thinking I’m her mam I just want to look after her, I’m supposed to protect her and there’s nothing, nothing I can do to save her at the moment.
“All I could do was pass her over to the hospital and hope to god they would save my little girl.”
‘Vital vaccine’
Chris Head, the head of the Meningitis Research Foundation, said: “Today’s news is a severe blow for everyone campaigning against this dreadful disease. We know every delay costs lives and leaves many more with life-long disabilities.
“Start Quote
It may seem bizarre, even illogical, that the body that advises the government on immunisation should not recommend the introduction of a vaccine against the most common cause of the disease.”
“The UK’s child mortality rates are amongst the highest in Europe. We
simply cannot afford to let this licensed vaccine hang in limbo any
longer.
“There is a tiny window of opportunity over the holiday season to encourage a change of heart and we are urging our members and supporters to lobby their MPs while we submit yet more, potent arguments to the JCVI on why this vaccine is vital.”
Sue Davie, the chief executive of the Meningitis Trust and Meningitis UK, said: “This is extremely disappointing news after all our supporters and our hard work over decades to introduce a vaccine.
“We understand the committee’s concerns about impact and cost, but we believe this vaccine is safe and we know it will save lives. The more we delay the more lives are being lost.”
Source : BBC
The only vaccine to protect against a deadly form of meningitis should not be introduced in the UK, the body that advises governments on immunisation says.
About 1,870 people contract meningitis B each year and one in 10 dies.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said the vaccine, Bexsero, was not cost-effective and should not yet be adopted by the NHS.
Meningitis charities have been campaigning for it to be introduced.
It is mostly children under five who are at risk from the bacterial infection, which leads to inflammations of the brain and spinal cord.
Of those who survive a meningitis B infection, one in four is left with life altering after-effects such as brain damage or limb loss.
There are vaccines against other forms of meningitis, but the jab
developed by Novartis is the only one thought to protect against
meningitis B.Tests have suggested the vaccine is effective against 73% of the different strains of the disease. It was licensed for use in Europe in January 2013.
However, there are questions about the effectiveness as very large trials would be needed to show how it affects the number of cases or how it would control the spread of the bacterium. So far no country has introduced the vaccine.
The JCVI said: “On the basis of the available evidence, routine infant or toddler immunisation using Bexsero is highly unlikely to be cost effective at any vaccine price based on the accepted threshold for cost effectiveness used in the UK and could not be recommended.”
Meningitis
- Meningitis is an infection of the meninges – the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
- Meningococcal bacteria are common and carried harmlessly in the nose or throat by about 1 in 10 people.
- They are passed on through close contact.
- Anyone can get meningitis but babies and young children are most vulnerable.
- Symptoms include a high fever with cold hands and feet, agitation, confusion, vomiting and headaches.
Prof David Salisbury, the director of immunisation at the Department of Health, 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 from person to person.
“We need to work with the scientific community and the manufacturer to find ways to resolve these uncertainties so that we can come to a clear answer.”
The UK introduced a vaccine against another form of the disease, meningitis C, in 1999. There used to be around 1,000 cases a year, but now the disease affects only a handful of people.
Mother speaks of horror of meningitis
She told the BBC: “She was just suddenly crying out for me `mummy, mummy, mummy’ to being blue grey mottled skin, to just going unconscious and me thinking I’m her mam I just want to look after her, I’m supposed to protect her and there’s nothing, nothing I can do to save her at the moment.
“All I could do was pass her over to the hospital and hope to god they would save my little girl.”
‘Vital vaccine’
Chris Head, the head of the Meningitis Research Foundation, said: “Today’s news is a severe blow for everyone campaigning against this dreadful disease. We know every delay costs lives and leaves many more with life-long disabilities.
“Start Quote
It may seem bizarre, even illogical, that the body that advises the government on immunisation should not recommend the introduction of a vaccine against the most common cause of the disease.”
Fergus Walsh Medical correspondent
“There is a tiny window of opportunity over the holiday season to encourage a change of heart and we are urging our members and supporters to lobby their MPs while we submit yet more, potent arguments to the JCVI on why this vaccine is vital.”
Sue Davie, the chief executive of the Meningitis Trust and Meningitis UK, said: “This is extremely disappointing news after all our supporters and our hard work over decades to introduce a vaccine.
“We understand the committee’s concerns about impact and cost, but we believe this vaccine is safe and we know it will save lives. The more we delay the more lives are being lost.”
Source : BBC
Babies Learn to Anticipate Touch in the Womb
Oct. 8, 2013 — Babies learn how to anticipate touch while in the womb, according to new research by Durham and Lancaster universities.
Using 4-D scans psychologists found, for the first time, that fetuses
were able to predict, rather than react to, their own hand movements
towards their mouths as they entered the later stages of gestation
compared to earlier in a pregnancy.
The Durham-led team of researchers said that the latest findings could improve understanding about babies, especially those born prematurely, their readiness to interact socially and their ability to calm themselves by sucking on their thumb or fingers.
They said the results could also be a potential indicator of how prepared babies are for feeding.
The researchers carried out a total of 60 scans of 15 healthy fetuses at monthly intervals between 24 weeks and 36 weeks gestation.
Fetuses in the earlier stage of gestation more frequently touched the upper part and sides of their heads.
As the fetuses matured they began to increasingly touch the lower, more sensitive, part of their faces including their mouths.
By 36 weeks a significantly higher proportion of fetuses were observed opening their mouths before touching them, suggesting that later in pregnancy they were able to anticipate that their hands were about to touch their mouths, rather than reacting to the touch of their hands, the researchers said.
Increased sensitivity around a fetus' mouth at this later stage of pregnancy could mean that they have more "awareness" of mouth movement, they added.
Previous theories have suggested that movement in sequence could form the basis for the development of intention in fetuses.
The researchers said their findings could potentially be an indicator of healthy development, as arguably fetuses who are delayed in this development due to illness, such as growth restriction, might not show the same behaviour observed during the study.
The research, published in the journal Developmental Psychobiology, involved eight girls and seven boys and the researchers noticed no difference in behaviour between boys and girls.
Lead author Dr Nadja Reissland, in the Department of Psychology, at Durham University, said: "Increased touching of the lower part of the face and mouth in fetuses could be an indicator of brain development necessary for healthy development, including preparedness for social interaction, self-soothing and feeding.
"What we have observed are sequential events, which show maturation in the development of fetuses, which is the basis for life after birth.
"The findings could provide more information about when babies are ready to engage with their environment, especially if born prematurely."
Brian Francis, Professor of Social Statistics at Lancaster, added: "This effect is likely to be evolutionally determined, preparing the child for life outside the womb. Building on these findings, future research could lead to more understanding about how the child is prepared prenatally for life, including their ability to engage with their social environment, regulate stimulation and being ready to take a breast or bottle."
The study builds on previous research by Durham and Lancaster into fetal development. Earlier this year another of their studies showed that unborn babies practise facial expressions in the womb in what is thought to be preparation for communicating after birth.
And in 2012 Dr Reissland published research showing that unborn babies yawn in the womb, suggesting that yawning is a developmental process which could potentially give doctors another index of a fetus' health.
The Durham-led team of researchers said that the latest findings could improve understanding about babies, especially those born prematurely, their readiness to interact socially and their ability to calm themselves by sucking on their thumb or fingers.
They said the results could also be a potential indicator of how prepared babies are for feeding.
The researchers carried out a total of 60 scans of 15 healthy fetuses at monthly intervals between 24 weeks and 36 weeks gestation.
Fetuses in the earlier stage of gestation more frequently touched the upper part and sides of their heads.
As the fetuses matured they began to increasingly touch the lower, more sensitive, part of their faces including their mouths.
By 36 weeks a significantly higher proportion of fetuses were observed opening their mouths before touching them, suggesting that later in pregnancy they were able to anticipate that their hands were about to touch their mouths, rather than reacting to the touch of their hands, the researchers said.
Increased sensitivity around a fetus' mouth at this later stage of pregnancy could mean that they have more "awareness" of mouth movement, they added.
Previous theories have suggested that movement in sequence could form the basis for the development of intention in fetuses.
The researchers said their findings could potentially be an indicator of healthy development, as arguably fetuses who are delayed in this development due to illness, such as growth restriction, might not show the same behaviour observed during the study.
The research, published in the journal Developmental Psychobiology, involved eight girls and seven boys and the researchers noticed no difference in behaviour between boys and girls.
Lead author Dr Nadja Reissland, in the Department of Psychology, at Durham University, said: "Increased touching of the lower part of the face and mouth in fetuses could be an indicator of brain development necessary for healthy development, including preparedness for social interaction, self-soothing and feeding.
"What we have observed are sequential events, which show maturation in the development of fetuses, which is the basis for life after birth.
"The findings could provide more information about when babies are ready to engage with their environment, especially if born prematurely."
Brian Francis, Professor of Social Statistics at Lancaster, added: "This effect is likely to be evolutionally determined, preparing the child for life outside the womb. Building on these findings, future research could lead to more understanding about how the child is prepared prenatally for life, including their ability to engage with their social environment, regulate stimulation and being ready to take a breast or bottle."
The study builds on previous research by Durham and Lancaster into fetal development. Earlier this year another of their studies showed that unborn babies practise facial expressions in the womb in what is thought to be preparation for communicating after birth.
And in 2012 Dr Reissland published research showing that unborn babies yawn in the womb, suggesting that yawning is a developmental process which could potentially give doctors another index of a fetus' health.
No comments:
Post a Comment