What You Need To Know About Meningitis B Vaccine, Bexsero

The meningitis B vaccine has become a major topic lately. This is due to the long waiting lists at pharmacies, which come from a limited distribution.

The government has not yet introduced “Bexsero” in the vaccine calendar. Therefore, if a parent wants their children vaccinated, they have no choice but to pay for the vaccine.

In fact, the vaccine for meningitis B is not easy to find. It is very poorly distributed. Some parents have waited up to several months to receive a dose.

Recently, the number of vaccines and its distribution to pharmacies has increased in Spain. As a result, many more parents are thinking about getting their children vaccinated.

In this article  we will talk about the meningitis B vaccine “Bexsero”. We hope this information will help you decide whether or not to vaccinate your child.

Is the meningitis B vaccine important for my child’s health?

This is a question that many parents ask themselves. The decision to vaccinate the child is up to its parents as this vaccine is optional.

Parents must make the decision about this vaccine based on the information they have available. In other words, it’s up to the parents and no one else.

Even doctors are careful not to advise parents whether to vaccinate or not. They simply provide the necessary information and the parents then have to make the decision themselves.

It is very unlikely that your child will get meningitis B, but it is not impossible.  It is a very serious illness, which means that the decision that the parents have to make is not easy.

The fact that this vaccine is still not part of the required vaccine calendar is surprising. 65% of the meningitis cases found in Spain are caused by meningococo B bacteria.

Everything you need to know about the meningitis B vaccine

At what age can I vaccinate my child?

This meningitis B vaccine can be given when your baby is 2 months old. This vaccine can also be given to older children who have not yet been vaccinated.

It is best not to use Bexsero with other vaccines that are on the vaccine calendar. Therefore, many health clinics wait until the age of 3 months to vaccinate against meningitis B.

Is this vaccine safe?

The AEMPS (Spanish Medication and Sanitary Product Association) did not allow the sale of this vaccine until it had first been tested for its safety.

About 8,000 children of different ages participated in these studies. In all studies,  the only symptoms that the children experienced after the vaccine were pain and swelling around the area where they were stung with the vaccine. 

In addition, some children were a little more irritable than usual, as well as had a little fever.

Is meningitis B dangerous?

Meningitis B is very dangerous, especially in young children. Their immune system is still not developed and therefore can not stop the infection. In some cases with young children, it has ended in death.

Is there a treatment for this disease?

Yes there is. There are antibiotics, for the treatment of meningitis B.  But the possibility of a cure depends on the age of the child and how long it takes before the infection is detected.

In the case of very young children, the infection can grow very quickly and in this case antibiotics are ineffective.

Is the vaccine effective?

Yes. In the UK, the number of cases, with meningitis B in children under one year, has been reduced by 50%. 

How much does the vaccine cost?

There is no denying that the price is quite high. You will have to spend a lot of money.

The price per. dose is 106.15 EUR – 790 DKK

Now that you have the information, it is up to each parent to decide whether or not to vaccinate. It is a decision that is entirely up to a child’s mother and father.

Remember, it is very unlikely that a child will get meningitis B. But if it does, the disease is very serious.