International Survey Released for World Meningitis Day Shows Parents Feel They Don't Know Enough About the Disease and its Consequences

London (ots/PRNewswire) -

An international survey conducted by GSK and released for World
Meningitis Day shows gaps in the knowledge parents feel they have
about meningococcal disease and its potential consequences. Almost 7
in 10 parents said they don't know enough about the different strains
of meningococcal disease and the potential damage they can cause.[1]
On average, more than half of parents were either unsure or unaware
that there are different types of bacteria that cause the disease.[1]

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The survey of 5,000 parents in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy and
Portugal also shows that out of a list of 14 vaccine-preventable
diseases, meningococcal disease is considered by many parents to pose
a top three health risk to their children.[1] Fifty-seven percent
listed meningococcal disease among the top three health conditions
they considered of greatest risk to children followed by Hepatitis B
at 34 percent, pneumococcal disease at 27 percent, polio at 25
percent, tetanus at 20 percent and pertussis at 17 percent.[1]

A sudden, potentially life-threatening illness, meningococcal
disease kills on average one person every eight minutes worldwide.[2]
It typically manifests as bacterial meningitis - an infection of the
membrane around the brain and spine; or bacteraemia - a bloodstream
infection. The disease progresses rapidly and it can lead to death
within 24-48 hours of the first symptoms;[3] up to 1 in 10 of those
infected may die.[4]

Since it is impossible to know who will be affected by
meningococcal disease, the most effective way to help prevent and
control it is through the use of vaccines. Even though five out of
the six main types of meningococcal disease are
vaccine-preventable,[5] more than half of parents were unaware of
which meningococcal vaccines are included in their country's
immunisation schedule.[1] More than a third of parents believe that
others, such as health care practitioners (HCP) or the government,
should take the most responsibility for ensuring children are up to
date with vaccinations.[1]

"Meningococcal disease is hard to recognize in the early stages,
making it even more critical for parents to know the signs and
symptoms," said Chris Head, president of the global Confederation of
Meningitis Organisations (CoMO). "The findings of this survey support
the need to better educate parents about the different types of the
disease and ways to prevent their children from getting it."

Takeaways from the survey by country

The results were fairly consistent across parents in the five
countries included in the survey but a few statistics stood out:[1]

- Out of a list of 14 vaccine-preventable diseases, meningococcal
disease was selected as posing a top three health risk to their
children, by 72 percent of parents in Portugal and 68 percent of
parents in Italy
- Seventy-two percent of parents in Canada said they didn't know
enough about the different strains of meningococcal disease and the
damage it can cause
- Approximately one-third of parents in Canada, Germany and Portugal
said they didn't know or were unsure about the most common way for
children to catch meningococcal disease
- In Brazil, 60 percent of parents said they would prefer to get
information about vaccines that protect against meningitis from
public awareness campaigns or the media, while in all other markets
health care providers were the preferred primary source of
information

Parents want to know more

The majority of those surveyed (nearly nine in ten) felt they
should be made aware of vaccinations that are not part of their
routine immunisation schedule and would be willing to discuss these
with their HCPs. Nine in 10 parents felt that their healthcare
providers should inform them of all vaccines available for
preventable diseases.[1]

"Even though meningococcal disease is rare, the consequences of
meningococcal disease for those affected, their families and the
healthcare system are significant," said Thomas Breuer, GSK Vaccines
chief medical officer. "The best defense against an aggressive
disease that leaves little time for intervention is vaccination."

Survey marks GSK launch of "Win for Meningitis"

The survey findings mark the launch of GSK's new disease awareness
initiative, "Win for Meningitis," to help parents learn more about
all types of meningococcal disease and the steps that can be taken to
protect their children from the potentially devastating consequences.

As part of this programme, Paralympic athletes who have survived
meningococcal disease have joined forces with world renowned
photographer and global advocate for children, Anne Geddes, who has
spent her career working on causes related to improving the health of
children, including vaccination. Using her unique style of visual
story-telling, Geddes will photograph Paralympians with healthy
newborns as a positive representation of the effort to protect
children from meningitis. Win for Meningitis is also being supported
by the global Confederation of Meningitis Organisations.

Note to editors:

About the survey[1]

The Win for Meningitis survey was conducted by Ipsos MORI and
commissioned by GSK. It was carried out in February and March 2016
via an online survey of parents, with a sample of 5,000 respondents,
from five countries across three continents: Brazil, Canada, Germany,
Italy and Portugal.

In each country 1,000 parents were surveyed. The criteria for
inclusion were that potential respondents must have at least one
child aged four years or under and be involved in decisions
concerning their children's health, for example, which childhood
vaccinations they will receive/ have received. Mothers and fathers
were included in the survey in the ratio 2:1 and a minimum of 150
parents per country had to have a child six months and under.

GSK - one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and
healthcare companies - is committed to improving the quality of human
life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For
further information please visit http://www.gsk.com.

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or
projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement,
are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results
to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but
are not limited to, those described under Item 3.D 'Risk factors' in
the company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2015.

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References

1. International Meningitis Parent Survey (Brazil, Germany, Italy,
Portugal, Canada), Ipsos MORI on behalf of GSK. 5 February - 4 March,
2016. (Data on file).

2. Naghavi M, et al. (2013). Global, regional, and national
age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240
causes of death, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global
Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet, 385, pp.117-171.

3. World Health Organization. (2012). Meningococcal Meningitis
Factsheet N°141. Available at:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs141/en/ . Accessed April
2016.

4. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Chapter 8:
Meningococcal Disease. Available from:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt08-mening.pdf .
Accessed April 2016.

5. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
(2014). Annual Epidemiological Report-Vaccine-preventable
diseases-invasive bacterial diseases 2014. Available at: http://www.e
cdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/AER-VPDIBD-2014.pdf .
Accessed April 2016.

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8047-5502, (London), Laura Chamley, +44-(0)20-8047-5502, (London),
Paul Hardiman, +44-(0)20-8047-5502, (London), Catherine Hartley,
+44-(0)20-8047-5502, (London) / US Media enquiries: Gwynne
Oosterbaan, +1-(973)-420-8195, (Philadelphia), Anna Padula,
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(Philadelphia) / Analyst/Investor enquiries: Ziba Shamsi,
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(Philadelphia), Gary Davies, +44-(0)20-8047-5503, (London), James
Dodwell, +44-(0)20-8047-2406, (London), Jeff McLaughlin,
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