Babies to get life-saving meningitis vaccine as Britain first country in the world to offer the jab

The jab was recommended by health advisers a year ago and will soon be made available to children All babies in the UK will soon have a potentially life-saving vaccine against meningitis B, the Health Secretary has announced. Jeremy Hunt said Britain would become the first country in the world with a nationwide meningitis B vaccination programme after the Government reached a deal with drug maker GlaxoSmithKline. The decision follows recent controversy over the Bexsero MenB vaccine after it emerged it was still not available to children despite being recommended by health advisers a year ago. The drug will now be added to the national childhood immunisation scheme, meaning babies will receive the first vaccine at two months old, followed by two further doses. Mr Hunt said: “I am very proud that we will be the first country in the world to have a nationwide MenB vaccination programme, helping to protect our children from a...