A MENINGITIS survivor from Poole is campaigning for the introduction of a vaccination it is hoped could stamp out a strain of the killer disease.

Melanie Corney, who lives in Canford Heath, was 26 years old when she fell ill with meningitis B and septicaemia in 2001.

After initially being misdiagnosed, a nurse spotted a septicaemia rash on her legs and feet which prompted the start of a fight for her life that still haunts her today.

Her condition became so serious her parents were told to say their final farewells after she was given just a 30 per cent chance of survival.

She has since played a part in numerous awareness drives and is now backing a Meningitis Research Foundation campaign lobbying the government to make the meningitis B vaccine part of the childhood immunisation programme.

The vaccine was recommended for routine use last year, but haggling over the price means it has not yet been introduced.

The B strain is the single largest cause of meningitis in the UK and young people are the most vulnerable. It leads to death in 10 per cent of all cases and to long-term after-effects in a further 36 per cent.

Ms Corney, who still suffers with headaches and muscle weakness, has written to MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole Annette Brooke in a bid to garner more support for the campaign, #WheresOurVaccine.

This video was made for us by Meningitis Now CEO Sue Davie about the need for the vaccine

She said the decision to introduce the vaccination is long over-due after the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation recommended it be routinely given to children in March last year.

“By the time I was diagnosed correctly I’d had the disease for several days and my major organs were shutting down,” added Ms Corney.

“Anyone who agrees with me that this life-saving vaccine is taking too long to implement can make their feelings known by signing the online #WheresOurVaccine petition.”

Chris Head, chief executive of the Meningitis Research Foundation said: “We appreciate that the JCVI stated that the vaccine recommendation was subject to a cost-effective price being agreed between the vaccine manufacturer and the Department of Health, but these price negotiations have been ongoing since July 2014 and have stalled."

He added: “We hope that by Melanie writing to her MP Annette Brooke, we can find out why the vaccine still hasn’t been implemented and when it will be. We will not stop until every child is protected from this disease.”

To sign the online petition, visit meningitis.org/wheres-our-vaccine.