Grieving mum calls for 'vital' meningitis B vaccine

A mum from Kent whose son died from meningitis almost three years ago has called for a vaccine to be made widely available following a recent outbreak in which two people have died.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that four of the 15 confirmed cases in the county are meningitis B (MenB), for which a vaccine is not currently given to all age groups.

Sue Gray, from Sheppey, has been campaigning for better preventative care since her 21-year-old son Matthew died in April 2023.

"I don't want anyone else to lose their life to something which I know can be prevented...my heart does go out to those parents [who have lost children]," she said.

Health secretary Wes Streeting confirmed that a vaccination programme would begin in the coming days for students living in halls at the University of Kent, while general eligibility for the MenB vaccine would be re-examined.

Routine MenB vaccination was rolled out in 2015, meaning older teens have not had the jab. High street pharmacies offer a full course of two doses for around £220.

Gray, whose younger son Zak survived after contracting meningitis last year, said a widely available vaccination was "vital".

"Why is it important to the government to be providing jabs for some diseases and illnesses, and not others?" she said. "And especially when this is a preventable disease."

"Prevention is better than cure."

Zak said he was "worried" by the outbreak and said meningitis was a very serious infection.

"A lot of people seem to glaze past it [meningitis], and I don't think people do actually really understand its capability," he said.

Alongside advocating for better preventative care, Gray has been campaigning for a Duty of Care law which would legally require anyone present with an individual in a medical emergency to call for help.

Matthew fell ill at a flat when with a group of people who failed to call for medical assistance until two days later.

Gray said: "Because of their blatant refusal [to get help] I am now sitting here, a mum who's grieving the loss of her 21-year-old son when he had so much life to give."

The absence of any legal obligation to get help means "there have not been any answers for me", she added.

A petition she started has reached almost 80,000 signatures.

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