Girl, 4, Contracts Meningitis B Despite Vaccine

Noa-Rose, a four-year-old from Caerphilly county, Wales, contracted meningococcal type B meningitis in December 2022, despite receiving all recommended vaccinations. Her parents vividly recall holding their "lifeless" child and the initial misdiagnosis at Prince Charles Hospital. After a rapid decline, including a high fever and rash, she was rushed back to the hospital where a lumbar puncture confirmed MenB.

While the MenB vaccine, offered to babies by the NHS, is highly effective, it is not 100% foolproof. Cases of MenB have dropped significantly since the vaccine was introduced for infants born after July 1, 2015. Noa-Rose's parents credit the vaccine with saving her life, stating she likely would not have survived without it. However, she is now one of the 20% of survivors who experience life-altering conditions such as epilepsy and developmental delay.

Her mother, Emma Alderman, now an ambassador for Meningitis Now, emphasizes the importance of recognizing symptoms and is calling for the MenB vaccine to be extended to teenagers. The charity's "No Plan B for MenB" campaign aims to introduce an adolescent booster by 2030. Government bodies in the UK and Wales state they follow advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which has been asked to review recent outbreaks.