Behind the Headlines added to Understanding Evidence

Behind the Headlines part of NHS Choices, provides an unbiased and evidence-based analysis of health stories that make the news.

The service is intended for both the public and health professionals, and endeavours to:

• explain the facts behind the headlines and give a better understanding of the science that makes the news,
• provide an authoritative resource for GPs that they can rely on when talking to patients, and
• become a trusted resource for journalists and others involved in the dissemination of health news.

Behind the Headlines is the brainchild of Sir Muir Gray, who set up the service in 2007.

This feature has now been added to our Understanding Evidence page, to enable a greater understanding of the health stories reported in the news.

First UK Meningitis B vaccine

Extract from Meningitis.org

“FAMILIES affected by meningitis are urging the Government to make a lifesaving new vaccine against Meningitis B – one of the deadliest forms of the disease – available to all children in the UK.

The vaccine, Bexsero, developed by pharmaceutical giant Novartis, received its marketing licence from the European Commission today.

It is the first Meningitis B vaccine to be licensed for use in the UK and will save thousands of lives, especially among children under five, who are most at risk from the disease.

Meningitis B is a major issue for the UK, which has one of the highest incidence rates in the world. It is the most common form of meningitis in the UK, affecting an average of 1,8702 people each year, many of them children. One in 103 people who contract the disease will die and one in four, will be left with life-changing after-effects, such as brain damage or limb loss.

Click here for the full article