Annette Brooke MP Backs Campaign to Raise Awareness of Meningitis
December 20, 2011 12:49 PM
Annette Brooke MP is backing Meningitis Research Foundation's campaign 'Meningitis Matters' - to raise awareness of meningitis and septicaemia, and to ensure that tackling the diseases remains a top public health priority while the current NHS reforms are implemented.
Meningitis is still a serious and life-threatening disease, affecting around 3,400 people in the UK each year. Infants and young people are at greatest risk: meningitis causes the largest number of deaths amongst children under five - more than any other infectious disease.
The Meningitis Matters campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease and ensure that the NHS reforms do not have a destabilising effect on meningitis research, surveillance and immunisation rates.
Supporting the campaign, Annette Brooke MP met with Nicky and Matt McClure, local constituents and parents of meningitis survivor Megan, in Parliament this week, to find out more about the diseases, and how the lives and outcomes of those affected could be improved.
Along with other MPs, Annette Brooke MP has signed an Early Day Motion (EDM 2476) calling on the Government to introduce new meningitis vaccines as soon as readily available. Many deadly strains of meningitis remain uncontrolled, and vaccination is still the most effective way to prevent and control it.
Annette Brooke MP said:
"Meningitis hasn't gone away - it still kills far too many children in the UK. Although real progress has been made over the last decade, more needs to be done to tackle this terrible disease and to improve survival rates and save lives."
Meningitis Matters calls on the Government to ensure that:
- Vaccines that prevent meningitis are introduced into the immunisation schedule as soon as they become available
- Healthcare professionals have sufficient training to enable them to identify and manage meningitis
- Adequate follow-up, care and support are provided to those left with after-effects of meningitis and septicaemia.
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