§ Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the measures to increase awareness of meningitis and their allocated funding have been for each year since 1997; [78945]
531W(2) what measures are in place to ensure the vaccination for meningitis of all students in state and public education and for a detailed breakdown of the cost of these measures; [78946]
(3) what representation his Department has received concerning (a) raising public awareness and (b) education in schools of meningitis. [78943]
§ Ms BlearsSince 1997, information about meningitis and septicaemia has been included in both theGuide to Childhood Immunisations and the Guide to Pre-school Immunisations. These leaflets are made available to all parents of every new baby and all parents of every preschool child. They are distributed largely via primary care and the Guide to Childhood Immunisations is given to all new parents by the health visitor at the ten day visit. More than one million of these leaflets are distributed, on an annual basis, in England.
The immunisation website www.immunisation.nhs.uk also contains information about meningitis and septicaemia.
A targeted campaign, Look out for your mate, has been running in all higher education establishments since 1995. The resources alert new students to the signs and symptoms or meningitis and septicaemia and suggest appropriate action. The cost of this work has been approximately £15,000 per annum. During the introduction of the MenC vaccine we worked closely with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service to ensure that all students had this important information.
In addition the Department also works with a number of meningitis charities, for example the meningitis research foundation, that produce guidance on the diagnosis and early management of meningococcal disease. This work is published as leaflets and information packs and is also available on the charities' web-sites.