A YOUNG mum from Liphook has been instrumental in one of the most successful online government petitions raising awareness for meningitis B vaccinations.

It has attracted nearly 800,000 signatures.

Jane Gleeson said: “I was in the same online birth group as little Faye Burdett’s parents Jenny and Neil, who had to deal with losing their little girl to meningitis earlier this month.

“There are 140 of us in our group of mummies that were brought together in 2013 when we met on a birth board while pregnant with our babies, and we all kept in touch. I have a beautiful daughter, Abigail, who is now two years old.

“Some of us have met face to face, some of us have not, but we are a family united by our beautiful December babies and we have seen each other through the happiest and the darkest days a mum can face.

“On February 14, little Faye lost her life to meningitis but it could have been prevented. Now there is a vaccine being offered to those born after May 2015 and we need to get this changed to cover all children.

“Every parent should be given the choice on whether to immunise or not, and no-one should have to lose their child when there is a vaccine out there to stop this from happening.”

Meningitis B is the most common strain of meningitis in the UK. It is, along with the septicaemia that it causes, the leading infectious cause of death for children under the age of five in the UK.

One-in-10 children who contract meningitis B will die from it. Many who survive suffer terrible permanent disability such as amputation, brain damage and epilepsy.

“For children born before May 2015, vaccines are only available through private clinics and prices range between £95 and £120 per dose,” explained Jane.

“Most children will need three doses, which will cost between £300 to £400 and not every family can afford to do that.

“When I decided to start campaigning with my birth group the day before little Faye lost her battle, we found a petition started by Lee Both, who wanted vaccine to be available for all children.

“The petition had just 300 supporters. Within two days, after the passing of beautiful little Faye, we had reached our goal of 100,000 signatures to qualify for a debate in Parliament.

“Now we have nearly 800,000 signatures, with more being added every day.

“We need to make sure that awareness does not fade until all children are entitled to have this vaccine on the NHS. The success and volume of the petition has taken us all by surprise. We had no idea it would become this big in such a short period of time.

"Because it has taken a year to roll-out the vaccine for children born after May 2015, we are campaigning now to get the vaccine approved for all children more quickly.

“For parents everywhere, it is frightening how quickly children can die if the symptoms are not recognised fast enough. I am proud to have been involved in a petition that has become the most popular Government petition ever, which is absolutely amazing. However, I cannot forget it follows the sad loss of little Faye.

“I have raised awareness in my circle of friends and family, have already given an interview to Eagle Radio and written to Damian Hinds MP and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. We are hoping it will be debated in Parliament and that we can go to 10 Downing Street to present our petition to the Prime Minister.”

Faye’s parents, Jenny and Neil Burdett, have spoken out about how their daughter first developed a rash on her forehead.

After being transferred from her local A&E in Kent to Evelina Children’s Hospital in London, her heart stopped in the ambulance.

Paramedics revived her and spent hours stabilising her. Her parents said: “We were given a one per cent survival rate but she proved them wrong and carried on fighting. After a few days she seemed to have turned a corner, but the sepsis started to effect her more and more.”

Faye had to have a full leg amputation as well as an arm, plus plastic surgery. But her little body was consumed by meningitis and sepsis (blood poisoning).

“We had to make a decision – a massive operation where she may die or we let her go peacefully on her own accord,” the couple said. “We decided the latter and then watched our little girl slip away. At 9pm, on Sunday, February 14, she finally fell asleep forever. All this in only 11 days.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “The Secretary of State personally negotiated the deal which allowed the Government to introduce the world’s first meningitis B vaccination programme, based on the best independent scientific evidence.

“All babies are offered the vaccine at two months of age with further doses at four and 12 months, focusing on infants before they reach five months of age because this is when the risk is greatest.”

“Meningitis B immunisation was introduced from September 1 for those babies who are due to receive their primary immunisations starting at two months of age on or after September 1, 2015, with a one-off catch-up programme for those infants born from May 1, 2015, to June 30, 2015.

“Children who are now aged up to nine months should have been offered the vaccine.”

The petition asks to give the meningitis B vaccine to all children, not just newborn babies. It states all children are at risk from this terrible infection, yet the Government plans to only vaccinate two to five month olds. It also demands there needs to be a roll-out programme to vaccinate all children, at least up to 11.

The petitions committee has agreed to schedule a debate. Before setting a date for it, the committee would like the House of Commons to have the chance to hear from some of the families who have been affected by meningitis B as well as from relevant medical experts.

The deadline for signing at petition.parliament. uk/petitions/108072 is March 14.