‘Meningitis decision puts children at risk’ – Ritchie | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

‘Meningitis decision puts children at risk’ – Ritchie

SDLP MP for South Down Margaret Ritchie has reacted with disappointment to the decision of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) not to recommend the vaccine Bexsero for the routine immunisation programme against Meningitis B.

Speaking to Newry Times following the decision Ritchie stated, “The news that the JCVI have made this decision on a cost-effectiveness basis comes as a great disappointment to all those campaigners and families who have suffered the loss of a child or had to cope with severe disability as the result of Meningitis B.

“It is deeply frustrating that the JCVI have stated that they need more population based studies on this newly licensed vaccine to prove its efficacy but don’t commit to a timetable or course of action for this to happen.

“The UK Health Minister must now act to take this process forward and ensure that the necessary studies are done to get the essential clinical evidence. It is also important that answers are given as to why the manufacturers of the vaccine were not consulted over pricing considerations at this stage of decision making.

Ritchie added, “This is a setback but the fight will continue, for every week that passes two lives will be lost to this terrible disease and many more victims and families will be left to cope with the life-altering effects of the disease.”

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=33286

Posted by on Jul 26 2013. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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