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Welcome to

Sonning Common

Health Centre

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Information About Meningococcal disease (Meningitis)

Meningitis Septicaemia Symptoms Asset

Meningitis Look Out For Your Friends Asset

Prophylactic Antibiotics for close contacts

This is a single dose of antibiotics, given “just in case” to those who have been in very close contact with someone with confirmed meningococcal infection.

The UKHSA are directly contacting those they believe should receive this. If you have been contacted by them, and recommended to take this, the surgery are happy to provide a prescription for this to obtain from a pharmacy.

For information, the UKHSA define this as:

· those who have had prolonged close contact with the case in a household type setting during the 7 days before onset of illness. For example, those living and/or sleeping in the same household (including extended household), pupils in the same dormitory, boy/girlfriends or university students sharing a kitchen in a hall of residence

· those who have had transient close contact with a case do not routinely need them (only if they have been directly exposed to large particle droplets/secretions from the respiratory tract of a case around the time of admission to hospital)”

IF you feel you qualify under these criteria then please contact the surgery.

If you don’t, the advice is that you don’t need antibiotics, but instead seek urgent medical assistance if you start to develop symptoms (as described in the posters above).

Meningitis Vaccination:

The MenB vaccine was added to the NHS immunisation schedule for infants in 2015, providing protection for babies and young children in the UK. It is separate from the MenACWY.

That means if you are a teenager or young adult born before 1 May 2015, you will not have received the MenB vaccine as part of the NHS schedule.

Young children who have missed one or more dose of the MenB vaccine can have this free of charge before their second birthday.

If you were born before 1 May 2015, there is no NHS catch up programme for the MenB vaccine.

All GP practices can offer free missed MenACWY to students who are under 25 years as well as MMR vaccines to eligible students. International students in the same age group are also eligible for these routine vaccines.

Can I have the MenB vaccine privately?

The MenB vaccine can be accessed privately through high street pharmacies, private GP providers and travel clinics. For those aged over two years, the vaccination course consists of two doses.

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