This week, the UK National Health Service (NHS) has announced that a vaccine for meningitis B will be added to its childhood immunisation programme. The vaccine will start being administered as part of this programme in September of this year, and will be offered to newborn babies, as well as children of two months, four months and 12-13 months. The vaccine was recommended to the NHS by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation back in March last year, and after a series of tests and studies, is now being rolled out. Let's answer some of the main questions surrounding this new vaccine.

What is meningitis?

Meningitis is an infection of the 'meninges', which are the membranes that cover both the brain and the spinal cord. The bacteria that causes the infection, called meningococcal bacteria, is naturally present in the nose and throat in 10% of the population, but is carried without risk of harm to the individual. The bacteria is passed from person to person through close contact, and although everyone can catch meningitis, it is babies and small children that are the most vulnerable. The symptoms of meningitis are a mixture of vomiting, coughing, cold hands and feet, confusion, distress, and a very high fever. Meningitis comes in a number of different strains.

How was the vaccine developed?

The vaccine for meningitis B has been on the market for some time under the name Bexsero, but was previously only available privately. For the government programme, a number of studies were carried out in order to test the safety of the vaccine – it was tested on around 8,000 people. These studies also confirmed that the vaccine has a 80-90% protection rate against the disease.

Who is eligible for the vaccination? 

As meningitis B mainly affects babies and small children, and due to the fact that this vaccine has been added to the national vaccination programmes for England and Scotland, all newborn babies will be vaccinated. However, on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the government is also implementing a one-off, catch-up programme for infants aged three and four months of age, as they are also considered high risk.

Are there any side effects of the vaccination?

The short answer is yes, there are some side effects known to be caused by the vaccination. However, the NHS and government bodies are assuring parents that the low risk side effects are nothing compared to the possibly fatal consequences of their child contracting meningitis B, so all parents are being advised to have their children vaccinated. During the studies and testing outlined above, no serious side effects were discovered, so parents should not be worried.

When will it come into force?

Meningitis B has now been added to the national vaccination programme for England and Scotland, and the government has said that from September 2015, all newborn babies will be vaccinated. As explained above, due to the concerns raised by the JCVI, catch-up vaccines will also be rolled out from this date.