Meningitis vaccines are being stockpiled by the government to stop supplies running low in areas most affected by the outbreak, it has emerged.
Two organisations representing pharmacies said manufacturers had been told to withhold stock of the jabs after the cluster in Kent led to a nationwide surge in demand.
High street chemists are being “inundated” by requests from concerned parents for the MenB vaccination after two young people died and a further 18 have been hospitalised by the outbreak.
Earlier on Wednesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said there was “plenty of supply” of the vaccine and said people seeking the jab privately were causing pharmacies to run out “in one or two cases”.
Vaccine supplies being withheld, high street chemists say
But Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) said her members were being told by suppliers that the government was withholding supplies of meningitis vaccines for high street chemists.
And the National Pharmacy Association said it also understood that health officials are preserving stock to where it was most needed.
As more cases were confirmed, including at a second university in Kent, clinical staff have been instructed to adopt Covid-style protection measures, using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including fluid resistant surgical facemasks for routine care of patients with meningitis or those suspected to have it.
Outside of clinical settings, the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus has sourced PPE and given it to students and staff who have remained on site.
A spokesperson for the university said while not a mandatory requirement, masks were being offered to “help provide reassurance”.
University of Kent students are also to be offered vaccinations in their home towns if they have already returned home.
A letter to students said: “All students who reside in Canterbury campus halls of residence at the University of Kent are being offered the menB vaccine, which you can receive from 2pm today, Wednesday March 18.
“If you live in Canterbury campus halls of resident but have already returned home, arrangements are currently being developed to ensure that you can receive the vaccines nearer to home – further information on how you can receive the vaccination will be provided in due course.”
Call for national vaccination service for meningitis
Hannbeck of the IPA told The i Paper: “Wes Streeting is saying there is plenty of stock, well where is it?
“A lot of our members are contacting suppliers when they are on the ordering system, and it is saying ‘stock unobtainable’.
“Pharmacies have been told by the suppliers that the government is keeping hold of stock. The government is not giving us any information.
“We are being contacted by a lot of worried parents who want their kids to be vaccinated.”
Hannbeck said the shortages were nationwide but it was more pronounced in southern England, due to the outbreak in Kent, and began on Monday when news of the cases first emerged.
“If the government is holding stock back they should roll out a national vaccination service for meningitis so our members can jab away. But we are completely in the dark.”
Hannbeck added that stocks of antibiotics, which are being used on a preventative basis for students closely connected to the cases in Kent, were currently in good supply but the government needed to act to ensure there were no shortages if the outbreak continues.
Pharmacies ‘inundated with requests’
And Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association said: “Pharmacies are being inundated by requests from concerned patients for MenB vaccination, which the vast majority of our members across the country have no stock currently available to fulfil.
“Most pharmacies provide MenB vaccinations as a small scale service, originally intended for patients who require it for travel or those who did not receive an NHS vaccine, and therefore do not carry significant amounts of excess stock.
“We have heard of some reports of abuse and intimidation aimed at pharmacy staff during this period from a small minority of patients, which is absolutely unacceptable.
“We understand that health officials may wish to preserve stock of vaccination for those most at need during this outbreak and pharmacies stand ready, to help in any potential NHS vaccination campaign.
“We are awaiting clarification about any future plans for MenB vaccination.
“If you have any concerns, please contact NHS 111and consult advice available on the NHS App.”
Health secretary confident supply at ‘the right levels’
Streeting was asked by his Tory shadow Stuart Andrew on Tuesday whether he had shored up supply chains for both vaccines and antibiotics for bacterial meningitis, which is the cause of at least several of the cases in Kent.
The Health Secretary replied: “We are confident that we have the right levels in place to respond, and as we think about potentially widening cohorts, we will obviously make sure that supplies are available in a timely and effective way.”
And speaking to BBC News on Wednesday, Streeting said it was “not necessary” for people to buy meningitis vaccinations.
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