Jabs plea from bereaved mum of Meningitis B victim

6 hours ago

Susie RackWest Midlands

The mother said she would keep campaigning for the free jabs to be made available beyond the end of the summer

Deniz Mills A woman with dark, curly hair tied back wearing a white broderie t-shirt in a room with cream and pastel coloured heart floral motif wallpaper. — The mother said she would keep campaigning for the free jabs to be made available beyond the end of the summer

The mother of an 18-year-old student who died in January after contracting meningitis B has urged school leavers to book a free vaccine this summer.

Aaron Mills, from Kidderminster, died after falling ill during the Christmas break from his studies in Liverpool.

"We had no chance with Aaron, within hours we'd lost him," Deniz Mills said. "There was nothing anybody could do for him. So, if you've got the chance to have the vaccine, take it."

A million 17 to 18-year-olds born between September 2007 and August 2008 and registered with a GP in England will be invited to book appointments limited to July and August.

Students across Coventry and Warwickshire, Birmingham, the Black Country and Wolverhampton, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire are being encouraged to plan ahead to allow enough time for two doses.

Aaron Mills died in January from meningitis B while on the Christmas break from university

Family A teenage boy with short dark hair smiles at the camera while wearing a pink t-shirt and standing next to balloons in the shape of the number 18. — Aaron Mills died in January from meningitis B while on the Christmas break from university

Aaron's family has been raising awareness and fundraising for Meningitis Now in the months since his death.

"Nobody I know knew anything about this vaccine," his mother said. "We're trying to get the word out there and make it so that everybody knows about it."

Her husband Anthony met junior health minister Sharon Hodgson and his local MP Mark Garnier in May to discuss meningitis and the vaccine.

The couple were notified about the summer rollout before it was made public.

"It made me cry," Deniz said. "It's an amazing thing and it needs to be done. But the other part of me was devastated because it's a year too late for us."

The jabs are being offered as part of a one-off national catch-up programme following the deaths of other students in outbreaks in Kent and Reading earlier this year.

The MenB vaccine was added to the UK NHS childhood immunisation programme for babies born on or after 1 July 2015, meaning most teens and young adults over 11 have not received it.

Those aged under 24 who are starting university or residential further education can attend a pharmacy walk-in vaccination site from 20 July.

The Mills had not known before Aaron died that a MenB vaccination was available, thinking his school vaccinations at 14 fully protected him.

It was only after his death that they realised he had only been vaccinated for MenACWY - four other types of bacteria that can cause meningitis.

The teenager quickly deteriorated after complaining of a headache on 30 December.

He was rushed to hospital after suffering a seizure, then transferred to Coventry for brain surgery.

The family later learned he had already lost most of his basic brain function before arriving at hospital. He was pronounced dead on 3 January.

Deniz and Aaron pictured at his father's 50th birthday celebrations in December

Deniz Mills A woman stands next to a taller teenager in a function room, both looking at each other. She has black curly bobbed hair and is wearing a black wrap dress with flowers on it and he has dark brown hair and a goatee and is wearing a sky blue t-shirt with white flowers on it. Behind them are tables with silver pots of hot food, long tables and covered chairs. — Deniz and Aaron pictured at his father's 50th birthday celebrations in December

His mother said the family intended to keep lobbying for free MenB jabs to be made permanently available beyond the end of the summer.

"How can they stop it after that?" she said. "It's like saying you're not important enough to have it.

"Ideally, it should be rolled into the school vaccination programme, so that before [teenagers] even leave school, it's offered to them.

"Then parents can feel at ease knowing that their children are going out into the big world all by themselves, fully covered."

Minesh Parbart, chief pharmaceutical officer for NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, "strongly advised" those eligible for the jab to protect themselves before the new academic year.

Pharmacist Nigel Dugmoore added students should plan ahead as two doses were needed to ensure optimum protection, spaced four weeks apart.

"Coming forward early helps ensure you are protected before starting university or college and gives peace of mind as you begin this new chapter," he added.