A MOTHER who lost her son to meningitis has hailed the announcement of a new lifesaving vaccination to help prevent the killer infection.

Tracy Hurst lost her son Bradley Pover in October 2007, aged nine-and-a-half months, after he contracted meningococcal septicaemia, also known as bacterial meningitis.

Miss Hurst and her partner Steven Pover have now welcomed the news that all babies in England and Scotland can now be vaccinated against meningitis B (MenB) from September.

Parents will be able to get jabs for the strain of the deadly brain infection for youngsters at the ages of two and four months, with a booster when they are one year old, the Department of Health announced.

They said that the infant programme, available from GPs, means the UK is the first in the world to begin "national and publicly-funded meningitis B immunisation".

Miss Hurst, of Freshfield Avenue, Great Lever, said: "It's about time. It's just a shame that they couldn't bring it out any sooner.

"I know that Bradley's meningitis was different but I am behind any prevention against any strain of the disease.

"What we went through with Bradley was horrendous. We couldn't have gotten through it without our friends and family. Parents should never have to go through the heartache of losing their child — especially when it could be avoided."

About 1,200 people — mainly babies and children — get meningitis caused by the meningococcal group B bacteria each year in the UK, with around one in 10 dying from the infection.

Miss Hurst, aged 36, said: "We have raised more than £3,000 for charity since Bradley's death and although it will not bring him back, we hope that in some way our fundraising will have helped towards this.

"I think the main thing now is awareness. There should be more posters and handouts available at doctors' surgeries and hospitals to show parents the symptoms to look out for."

Teenagers aged 17 and 18 in the final year of sixth form and other students aged 19 to 25 who are starting university this year will also be able to receive a vaccination against the A, C, W and Y strains of the infection from August, the Department of Health said, which is "particularly important" for those heading off to university.

Sue Davie, chief executive of the Meningitis Now charity, said: "We're delighted that yet another milestone in the journey to introduce these vaccines and protect our newborn babies and young people from the devastation meningitis causes has been reached — these measures will start to save lives straight away and for years to come."

Christopher Head, chief executive at Meningitis Research Foundation added: "We are delighted that MenB is to be introduced as Meningitis Research Foundation has been working for many years on a MenB vaccine supporting vital research into its development and testing, and campaigning for its introduction."