Parents urged to check children have MenB vaccine after two meningitis deaths

James Cox

The HSE is urging parents to make sure their children are up to date with their MenB vaccines after three cases of meningitis were discovered recently.

A fourth patient's been classed as a "possible" case, while two people with the illness have died.

The Men-B vaccine is available for children at 2 and 4 months old and older kids when they go into secondary school.

Dr Lucy Jessop, director of the HSE National Immunisation Office, explained the symptoms to look out for.

Dr Jessop told Newstalk: "Early signs or symptoms are things like fever, headache, neck stiffness, sometimes discomfort from the light, those are the signs and symptoms of meningitis that information around the brain.

"But also it can even be diarrhea and muscle pains and stomach cramps, cold hands and feet even though you have a fever, then people might be familiar with the pin prick rash or blood blisters. Some people might have seen pictures of the glass test, so if you cover the rash with a glass and it doesn't go away."