THE family of meningitis survivor Charlotte Nott has welcomed a lifesaving vaccine that will be rolled out this summer.

The Department of Health has announced the UK’s first meningitis B vaccine will be distributed across the country to help combat the life-threatening disease.

And Jenny Daniels, mother of seven-year-old Charlotte, said it was “amazing” the vaccine had been developed.

The 33-year-old Horspath resident said she spoke to Andrew Pollard, professor of paediatric infection and immunity at the University of Oxford and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, three-and-a-half years ago about the possibility of a vaccine.

She said: “He said it could be up to another 10 years before they could develop it.

“The fact it has been done in the past four years is brilliant. The more people that can have it the better.

“If all children can have it then it would save so many more lives.”

Charlotte contracted meningitis, an illness caused by inflammation to the lining of the brain, when she was a baby.

The youngster had the lower parts of her arms and legs amputated to stop the deadly disease spreading throughout her body and killing her.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt confirmed England would be the first country in the world to offer newborn babies the new meningitis B vaccine Bexsero via the NHS from September 1.

The vaccine will be offered for babies starting at two months, followed by another dose at four months and a booster dose at 12 months.

There will also be a limited catch-up programme for infants who are due their three- and four-month vaccinations in September.

Miss Daniels said: “I have met so many people that have been through this. It’s been hell. It’s bad enough that it is your own child but you meet so many people.

“It’s just a really vile disease.”

Meningitis Now campaigned for two years to get the Meningitis B vaccine free on the NHS.

Meningitis Now chief executive Sue Davie said: “We’re delighted that this milestone in the journey to introduce these vaccine and protect our babies and young people from the devastation meningitis causes has been reached.

“These measures will save thousands of lives and protect people from losing loved ones to the deadly disease.”

Miss Daniels said sports-mad Charlotte was growing more and more independent, but needed her prosthetic legs, which cost about £6,000, renewed every three to six months as she continued to grow.

Last month, volunteers skydived to raise money for the seven-year-old’s equipment.

Miss Daniels added: “We never know what is round the corner for Charlotte. Even when she is doing well, you never know.

“You just have to take everything as it comes. The skydiving went really well, but we need to keep on raising money for her future.”