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Plea to Manx parents to check meningitis vaccination status 

Picture credit: Looky's Aid

It follows the death of two young people in the UK

Parents on the Isle of Man are being encouraged to make sure their children have received all available meningitis vaccinations.

It's after an outbreak in the UK in which two young people have died and several others are in hospital.

Four of the confirmed cases in the UK have been identified as MenB; routine vaccinations for this strain were only introduced in 2015, meaning many current students and those in their late teens may not be fully protected.

Brett Martin’s 21-year-old son, Lucas, died from the disease in 2023.

He says his heart goes out to the families affected and is urging parents to do everything they can to ensure young people are as protected as possible:

Public Health Isle of Man has issued reassurances that the risk of a meningitis outbreak on the Isle of Man is 'very low indeed'.

We spoke to the Director of Public Health and Chief Medical Officer, Matt Tyrer:

You can hear the full interview with Brett Martin now:
 

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