A one-year-old baby who died from meningitis B in the midst of a vaccine shortage was the first death from the disease since 2012, the health authorities confirmed.

A spokeswoman for the Health Ministry said this was the only recorded case of meningitis so far this year. There was one case each of confirmed meningitis B in 2016, 2015 and 2014. The patients had survived, the spokeswoman said.

Times of Malta reported on Friday the government did not supply the vaccine against the specific strain that affected the infant. The vaccine can, however, be bought from private hospitals and pharmacies although paediatricians said private hospitals had purchased the vaccine from pharmacies abroad but the consignments had since run out.

Babies who were not vaccinated were not in any immediate danger

The local representative of GSK, the company that supplies the vaccine, said last week fresh supplies would not be available in Malta for some time. No fixed date had yet been given as to when the supplies would reach the local market.

The meningitis B vaccine is in high demand globally. A spokeswoman for GSK said the demand for the vaccine outstripped supply and Malta would have to wait its turn to get supplies.

The signs of meningitis are fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, vomiting, dislike of bright light and drowsiness. Infants and younger children may not always show such symptoms but, instead, feed poorly or become very lethargic.

Vaccines are the only way to prevent meningitis and have almost eliminated some other causes of this deadly disease.

According to one paediatrician, the unavailability of such a vaccine in light of the baby’s death was very worrying, particularly to parents. Another paediatrician, however, warned against the matter getting out of hand, saying the issue was not as worrying as parents were making it out to be. Babies who were not vaccinated were not in any immediate danger, he insisted.

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