Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is guided on vaccination policy by the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Following the JCVI's advice, the Scottish Government added the meningitis B (men B) vaccine, on 1 September 2015, to the routine childhood vaccination schedule at two, four and 12 months of age, making Scotland one of the first countries in the world to have a national men B vaccination programme. All infants who are now aged up to 10 months should have been offered the men B vaccine.

When any new vaccination programme is introduced, there has to be a date to determine eligibility – a decision based on the best independent clinical recommendation to ensure we can protect those children most at risk of men B. In light of the recent petition regarding men B, the Scottish Government wrote to the JCVI to ask them to consider reviewing the evidence on their current advice to determine if it should be changed. The JCVI has responded confirming that its recommendation on men B was based on the best available evidence and this remains the case. The JCVI continues to monitor all available evidence in respect of its recommendations, and advice can be updated if new information or evidence becomes available. The Scottish Government will of course consider carefully any future JCVI recommendations on men B vaccination.

To increase awareness about the men B vaccine, parents of eligible children are sent an appointment letter for the vaccines (including men B) due to be given at their routine appointment, asking them to attend with their child at their GP practice. The introduction of any new vaccination programme is always accompanied by public information materials.