Just a quick blog this afternoon about the petition currently doing the rounds calling for the meningitis B vaccine to be given to all children in the UK, not just babies.

The story and photos of two-year-old Faye Burdett, who died from meningitis just days after a rash appeared on her forehead, released by her parents this week are unimaginably heartbreaking but by signing this petition, older children could yet be considered for vaccination if the government reconsiders the current policy.

We’re lucky that our little girl was born at the right time to be part of the vaccination programme in the UK, but had she been born just one year earlier, she wouldn’t be.

Chair of the Commons health select committee, Dr Sarah Wollaston, has said that the government was advised by the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI): “There is a case for the JCVI looking again at the formula it uses to weigh up cost effectiveness and I think that is what should now happen as a result of this petition. The way the public feel is absolutely crucial as part of how you weigh up these decisions.”

Signing the petition can make a difference, and you can add your name to the petition here.