THE letter from Steve Dayman ("All-out battle to beat this cruel disease"-- BEN, July 31) prompts me to remind readers of the Meningitis Trust.

This is a national charity which has done a great deal of good work over many years in fighting this dreadful disease.

Bolton already has well-established connections with the Trust. I myself have been privileged to work with it over the years in a voluntary capacity on behalf of our community, and there is also an excellent and very active local branch. This group of local people meet regularly and socially and, like the parent Meningitis Trust itself, work tirelessly to increase awareness in our community and to raise funds to conquer this disease. Both the Meningitis Trust and the local Branch can be contacted on the Trust's 24-hour helpline (tel. 0845 6000 800).

One of the most positive thing that people can do to protect themselves is to make sure that all children and young people up to their 18th birthday, and students going into their first term of higher education have had the very effective conjugate vaccine which protects them against the "C" strain of the disease (up to half of all meningococcal cases before the vaccine was introduced in 1999). Sadly, this does not prevent other strains, so it is still very important that parents remain aware of this relatively rare but serious illness.

Another dangerous form of meningitis has been virtually eradicated for several years now by the Hib vaccine (given to babies at two, three and four months) so parents should make sure their children have had this vaccine (only necessary if they are under four years of age).

Finally, the MMR vaccine is an important way of protecting children against dangerous forms of meningitis and brain infections caused by the measles and mumps viruses. Sadly, some people have had their confidence in MMR vaccine undermined by quite unfounded scaremongering (although thankfully here in Bolton 93-94 per cent of children do have MMR before they are two years old. MMR is among our most effective and safest vaccines, and parents should know that it also protects their children against two dangerous forms of viral meningitis.

We are winning the fight against meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia, mainly by the miracle of vaccination, and I ask readers to consider giving their support and donations to the Meningitis Trust. I am confident that we will eventually beat the remaining forms of meningitis, and we will do this by vaccination.

Vaccination is the best thing that has ever come out of medical science in terms of preventing suffering and premature death especially in children.

I urge all parents to protect their children against meningitis and other preventable diseases by making sure they are fully immunised.

Robert Aston

Consultant in Communicable Disease

Control & District Immunisation

Co-ordinator Wigan and

Bolton Health Authority