This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43197234

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Meningitis B family 'disgusted' over lack of action Government publishes key vaccine report
(about 9 hours later)
The family of a child who died of meningitis B have said they are "disgusted" with the government's refusal to vaccinate older children. A long-awaited report into how the government makes decisions about which vaccines to fund has been published.
It follows calls for greater transparency about why a vaccine to protect children against meningitis B was not made more widely available.
Two-year-old Faye Burdett died in 2016 - she was too old to have the vaccine.Two-year-old Faye Burdett died in 2016 - she was too old to have the vaccine.
An 820,000-signature petition calling for all children to be vaccinated was then submitted, - but the idea was rejected as "not cost effective".An 820,000-signature petition calling for all children to be vaccinated was then submitted, - but the idea was rejected as "not cost effective".
And campaigners are still waiting for a promised government report into how that decision was reached. One of the recommendations in the report is lowering the cost-effectiveness threshold for immunisation, potentially making it harder for new vaccines to be approved at current prices.
Health Minister Steven Brine will face questions from MPs on Tuesday over why that report - looking at the cost-effectiveness of vaccines, including the Men B jab - still hasn't been published. Health Minister Steven Brine was due to face questions from MPs on Tuesday over why the report into the cost-effectiveness of immunisations - promised by the end of 2016 - still had not been published.
In 2016, experts from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised the government it would not be cost-effective to offer the Men B jab to children between two and 11, because of the low levels of meningitis B in older children. Commenting on the publication, Helen Jones, who chairs the Petitions Committee, said: "Since 2016, the Petitions and Health Committees have been urging the government to publish this report - so we are pleased that it has finally done so.
Faye's parents, Jenny and Neil Burdett, said they "remain disappointed and frustrated that the government deemed the protection of vulnerable children as 'not cost effective'. "It is, however, regrettable that the government has taken so long to act, when decisions about vaccines could save children's lives.
"Charities and campaigners, including families who have lost children to meningitis, have been left waiting for this report for far too long."
A consultation will now run until 21 May 2018.
Ms Jones said: "The government must now listen to the voices of survivors and bereaved families."
Faye's parents, Jenny and Neil Burdett, have said they "remain disappointed and frustrated that the government deemed the protection of vulnerable children as 'not cost effective'.
"We had hoped our collective voices would be heard and changes made," they said."We had hoped our collective voices would be heard and changes made," they said.
"We are disgusted with the health department for the way they have treated one of the biggest petitions to date.""We are disgusted with the health department for the way they have treated one of the biggest petitions to date."
They made public photos of Faye in hospital to raise awareness of the bacterial infection.They made public photos of Faye in hospital to raise awareness of the bacterial infection.
And the petition the images featured in became the most popular petition in parliamentary history. It is now the third largest.And the petition the images featured in became the most popular petition in parliamentary history. It is now the third largest.
The charity Meningitis Now said it hoped Mr Brine would be "fully prepared to provide answers" to the people who had signed the petition and had "been patiently waiting to see its contents". Meningitis Research Foundation chief executive Vinny Smith, said: "Two years is too long, but we are pleased to see a public consultation on the report which has finally been published.
Chief executive Dr Tom Nutt said: "We are disappointed that this important and potentially life-saving report on the future of vaccines remains unpublished and without a firm commitment from the government to consult on its findings and recommendations. "We are taking time to review the report in full but are concerned that some recommendations would be detrimental to future vaccines and could reduce our chances of preventing serious and fatal illnesses."
"When the petition was rejected in 2016, the then health minister cited this report as being integral to the future of vaccines and in doing so 'put on hold' the hopes of those who had signed the petition - people who had been deeply moved by the sad and preventable death of two-year-old Faye Burdett."