MENINGITIS

That this House notes that meningitis and septicaemia are serious and potentially life-threatening diseases, with one in 10 dying, while a quarter of survivors are left with life-altering after-effects such as amputations, brain damage, deafness, blindness and epilepsy; further notes that babies, teenagers and young adults are most at risk, with the diseases killing more babies and young children in the UK than any other infectious disease; welcomes the fact that over the last decade there has been significant progress in raising awareness and tackling the diseases with the introduction of new vaccinations; further notes however that there are many strains of bacterial meningitis for which there are no vaccinations; and calls on the Government to introduce new vaccines as soon as readily available to protect against all strains of meningitis and septicaemia.