Meningitis: Thousands sign petition for vaccine to be made available on NHS to all children under 11

More than 440,000 people have signed a petition, meaning it will be considered for debate in the House of Commons

Meningitis vaccinations are currently only available on the NHS to babies aged two to five months old (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Parliament will consider debating whether to extend meningitis vaccinations to older children after more than 440,000 people signed a petition following two high profile cases of the disease.

The petition calls for all children, at least up to the age of 11, to be vaccinated against the disease on the NHS.

According to the NHS, Meningitis B is the cause of 90 per cent of all meningococcal infections in young children. It is an infection of the protective membranes around the brain and spinal column, and can lead to severe brain damage, amputations and death.

Vaccinations are currently only available on the NHS to babies aged two to five months old - those wanting to vaccinate older children must pay privately.

It was introduced in September 2015 for babies born on or after 1 July, 2015, and involved a series of three injections at two months, four months and a year old.

Two-year-old Faye Burdett fought meningitis for 11 days before her death (PA)

The charity Meningitis Now released images of two-year old Faye Burdett, who died of the disease on Sunday after fighting the infection for 11 days.

In a statement, Faye’s mother said: “This is a photo of Faye, two years old, who sadly lost her life to this dreadful disease.

"We campaign for change in her memory. All children are at risk from this terrible infection."

Former England rugby union captain Matt Dawson revealed his toddler son suffered "two weeks of hell" after being struck by the disease and urged others to sign the petition on social media.

Sue Davie, the CEO of the charity Meningitis Now, released a statement to say: "We are using our voice to support the petition to raise the profile of meningitis, keeping it high on the political agenda and increasing awareness among the public to prevent more lives being lost to this devastating disease.

“Although the introduction of the Men B vaccine on the childhood immunisation scheme for young babies was a momentous achievement, saving thousands of lives, there are still so many, like Faye, left unprotected.

“Moving forward, we continue to campaign to see the Men B vaccine rolled out, particularly to at risk groups to ensure a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis.”