Meningitis C vaccine supplies for UK freshers run out

The Department of Health has reported that supplies of the meningitis C vaccine in the United Kingdom have been quickly depleted, resulting in thousands of first year university students leaving home without immunisation. The Department of Health had recommended that 500 000 first year university students be immunised against meningitis C, but general practitioners nationwide have reported that the initiative has been marred by an inadequate supply of the vaccine.

The risk of contracting the illness is thought to be highest in the first two weeks of term; the Department of Health has therefore deemed it essential that new students have adequate protection.

The government has accepted that production of the vaccine could not meet the overwhelming demand; the manufacturer of the vaccine, SmithKline Beecham, has had to cope with a production target 100-times greater than normal and has so far produced 405 000 doses with a further 500 000 doses in the pipeline.

The vaccination programme was announced by health secretary Frank Dobson in August, just weeks before the start of the academic year, giving little time for mass production and distribution.

Critics have commented that the exercise is futile since the vaccine provides only temporary protection from meningitis C and has questionable efficacy. Officials at John Moores University, where there was an outbreak of meningitis last year, reported that the vaccine was not used as they had been informed by the Department of Health that it was not efficacious for the encountered form of meningitis.

The government is pressing ahead with the programme and hopes to meet targets within the first few weeks of October. The National Union of Students and general practitioners nationwide have urged the government to plan well ahead in the future and organise such initiatives better.

Nish Rajpal, GKT London


studentBMJ 1999;07:394-436 November ISSN 0966-6494