One year after their 2-year-old daughter’s passing on Valentine’s day, the Burdetts are speaking out again about the meningitis vaccine. Members of Parliament in the UK had promised to fight the disease after their daughter Faye’s death, but now her father, Neil, is pleading for real action.
“They would keep pushing for an awareness campaign but we’ve heard nothing,” he told the Daily Mail. “It’s not acceptable and it’s not fair because children are still dying.” According to the National Health Service, over 500 UK citizens contract Men B every year, and one in 10 will die from the disease.
The vaccine protects against 90% the circulating strains, however, the NHS still doesn’t cover it for older kids.
The meningitis B vaccine is recommended for babies aged two months, followed by a second dose at four months, and a booster at 12 months.
As of September 2015, the shot became freely available through the National Health Service in the U.K. to children born after June 2015, however parents of children born earlier, like Faye, still have to pay out-of-pocket for the vaccine.
“There is just this massive hole children are falling into,” Neil said. “We feel like we were ushered out of the building and that was that. It’s all been brushed under the carpet.”
The family previously posted to Facebook about their daughter’s death, which was shared over 128 000 times.
“No, it’s not nice, but it’s reality, and it’s what this disease did to Faye which made her sadly lose her life on Sunday,” Reed wrote , calling for followers to sign and share a petition that calls on the U.K. government to cover vaccination all children against meningitis B, not just newborns.
Reed also included their account of the tragedy: “We were given a 1% survival chance but she proved them wrong and carried on fighting. After a few days she seemed to have turned a corner, but the sepsis started to affect her more and the decision of limb removal was made. The extent of removal was massive, full leg amputation and one arm and plastic surgery. She was getting tired, her little body consumed by meningitis and sepsis (blood poisoning). We had to make the decision, a massive operation and she may die or we let her go peacefully on her own accord. We decided the latter and then watched our little girl slip away.”
Even in the U.S, where some parents may have to pay out-of-pocket, it’s still important to immunize your child wherever you may live. Check the CDC website or with your healthcare provider for more information on this life-saving vaccine.