'Vaccine could have saved my son from meningitis'

A mum whose 18-year-old son died of meningitis has urged the government to stop "withholding life-saving vaccines" following a fatal outbreak in Kent.

Marrissa Mullans, from Prestwich in Greater Manchester, has been campaigning to improve access to the MenB vaccine after her son Alfie's death in June 2023.

While Alfie was vaccinated against four types of meningitis-causing bacteria, because he was born before 2015 he was not offered the jab against Meningitis B which is now recommended for babies by the NHS.

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokeswoman said a routine MenB booster for young people was not recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

"Alfie wasn't protected because of his birth year," said Ms Mullans, 46.

Following the meningitis outbreak in Kent, in which two young adults have died and 11 are seriously ill in hospital, she spoke to BBC Manchester about the importance of protecting young people against all strains of the disease.

Of the latest outbreak, Ms Mullans said "it's been horrendous, seeing lives lost".

She said Alfie, from Bury, had been in his final year of sixth form college, where he was learning how to become a barber, and had dreams of joining the military.

He died of sepsis just one day after developing symptoms of Meningitis B.

Ms Mullans said she had been under a "false sense of security", believing Alfie was protected against meningitis, having had the MenACWY vaccine that is offered to teenagers aged 14 and over.

Unbeknownst to Ms Mullans, though, the MenACWY vaccine - which offers protection against meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y - is not the only vaccine.

Because he had not had the MenB vaccine, Alfie was not protected against meningococcal group B bacteria - leaving him vulnerable to Meningitis B.

"Nobody appears to be aware," Ms Mullans said.

"They, like I did, think that because they've had the vaccination that's given to schoolchildren they are then protected against all strains of meningitis - and that isn't the case."

Now Ms Mullans is campaigning for further access to the MenB vaccine for young people born before 2015.

"I lost my son and my life will never be the same and Alfie has lost his future, his dreams, his aspirations, everything taken away from him," she said.

"I'm not asking for the world, I just want children to have access to a licensed vaccine to prevent further loss of life.

"I don't want any other family to go through this."

For children born from 2015 onwards, a MenB vaccine is recommended on the NHS as standard practice for babies aged eight weeks, followed by a second dose at 12 weeks and a booster at 12 months.

Ms Mullans, who believes the vaccine could have saved her son's life, contacted the DHSC in 2025 through her local MP to advocate for the MenB jab to be offered to those who missed out.

Former Health Minister Ashley Dalton said a "catch-up programme" for older children born after 2015 had been dropped because "priority should be given to the implementation of the primary infant immunisation programme".

Government experts believe MenB vaccines in adolescents may not provide population-level protection.

The DHSC letter concluded: "We understand that those outside the criteria may feel disappointed. However eligibility decisions for all the vaccination programmes are made following careful consideration of disease burden, vaccine safety, and cost-effectiveness."

Ms Mullans said: "To use the word 'disappointed' in relation to the loss of your child, the loss of your child's future, the loss of your child's aspirations, your whole family being brought to its knees is... it's not an appropriate word to use about a life-saving measure.

"There is a vaccine there scientifically researched, it's been there for a number of years.

"Vaccines aren't foolproof, we know that - but it is there, it does save lives and it's been withheld from young people based on the year they were born.

"For me, it is fundamentally wrong to withhold life-saving vaccinations."

Ms Mullans continued: "It was Mothering Sunday when everything came out about the children in Kent.

"I was heartbroken - because my child wasn't there to spend Mothering Sunday with his mum - and then to have worked as hard as I have with trying to raise awareness around the lack of access to the MenB vaccination to find out that more children, young people, have lost their life because of the government's decision around cost effectiveness.

"It was horrendous. I just don't want any other family to go through this."

A DHSC spokeswoman also said: "Our thoughts go to the family and friends of those who have lost a loved one to meningitis.

"We continue to follow JCVI advice, which routinely reviews new evidence as it emerges."

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