An “alarming” report has linked meningitis to 159 deaths in the UK in one year – as pharmacists warn that childhood vaccination rates are falling.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called for an immunisation catch up service to be rolled out for teenagers who have missed out on being vaccinated against meningitis and other diseases.
NPA chair Olivier Picard said declining immunisation rates for illnesses, including meningitis and measles, highlighted that the current strategy was “not fit for purpose” in the face of growing “vaccine hesitancy”.
It comes after a deadly outbreak of the disease in Kent earlier this month claimed the lives of two students.
Mr Picard said: “It’s clear there are gaps in the original national vaccination strategy for meningitis and pharmacies want to reach those in need of protection.
“The NHS should urgently commission pharmacies to provide a catch-up vaccination service for teenagers who did not receive their MenACWY immunisations, as well as commissioning pharmacies to support NHS colleagues with wider childhood vaccinations.”
The call comes as a report examining the impact of the deadly infection around the world found there were 5,150 meningitis cases in Britain in 2023.
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The cases were linked to the deaths of 159 people, including 84 men or boys and 75 women or girls, the report published in Lancet Neurology said.
They were among 259,000 deaths from meningitis globally in 2023 and 2.54 million cases.
The World Health Organisation has set a goal to reduce cases of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis by 50% and deaths by 70% by 2030, compared to 2015 numbers.
The researchers, led by academics from the University of Washington in the US, said though meningitis deaths and cases have declined since 1990, progress was still “insufficient” to meet this goal.
“Although there have been substantial improvements in reducing the morbidity and mortality of meningitis, the pace of progress is not currently on track to meet these goals by 2030,” the researchers said.
“Continued efforts focused on vaccination, antibiotic stewardship and advances in treatment access and equity can promote the continued prevention of disability and deaths due to meningitis.”
A recent meningitis outbreak in Kent has resulted in dozens of infections and the death of 18-year-old Juliette Kenny and an unnamed University of Kent student.
The surge in cases peaked at 29 infections last week, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported.
The latest figures show there were 20 laboratory confirmed cases reported on Tuesday, with the updates provided since saying that no new cases had been recorded.
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Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now, said: “These findings are a stark reminder that meningitis remains a devastating global disease.
“While progress over recent decades shows the power of vaccination to save lives, this data from the Lancet makes it clear that we are not moving fast enough to meet the World Health Organisation’s targets to defeat meningitis by 2030.
“The data should act as a wake-up call. Governments, health systems and communities must work together to prioritise vaccination, improve early diagnosis and ensure rapid access to treatment.”
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Dr Shamez Ladhani, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHS, said: “Meningitis remains one of the most feared infectious diseases for clinicians and families, and this research is a stark reminder of why the global fight against it must continue with urgency.
“Achieving the WHO’s ‘Defeating Meningitis by 2030’ goals will require continued collaboration – expanding vaccination, strengthening diagnostics, and ensuring that wherever gaps exist, we work to close them.”
