Archive - Thursday, 3 January 2002


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Brain bug jabs confirmed safe

BARRY schoolchildren have been reassured their meningitis vaccines are working, following faulty jabs in the Rhondda and Taff Ely areas.

Vale of Glamorgan Plaid Cymru councillor Chris Franks asked if defective jabs had been used on Barrians, after two cases of meningitis in Porth County Community School, Rhondda, last May.

James Hughes, 11, had C-strain meningitis and Kayleigh Gilder, 14, had an unidentifiable strain. Both were immunised in a Wales-wide programme in autumn 1999, to protect against the C-strain.

Bro Taf Health Authority recently found some jabs had been less effective. A spokesman said: "By comparing antibody levels in schoolchildren from the Rhondda Taff Ely area with schoolchildren elsewhere in Bro Taf and the UK, we know the levels of protection in children in this area, although present, are not as high as in children from other areas."

However, none of these injections had been used in the Vale and children in Rhondda and Taff Ely have been offered a booster dose.

Bro Taf, the National Assembly and the Department of Health have launched an investigation.

Cllr Chris Franks said: "It does appear to have taken a very long time for this potentially fatal mistake to be uncovered. Assembly Health Minister Jane Hutt must give a commitment a similar error will not happen again."

An Assembly spokesman said: "As a result of the health authority's vigilance, it has been discovered that the vaccine could become unstable if kept at certain low temperatures, so children have been given boosters."

Jane Hutt was unavailable for comment as the News went to press.

* National Meningitis Trust, 0845 600 0800. Meningitis Research Foundation, 0808 800 3344.