Apr 23, 2019
Topic: “World Meningitis Day: Have Your Children Been Vaccinated
for Meningitis B?”
Guests: Patti Wukovits and Alicia Stillman
For more information: www.MeningitisBActionProject.org
We’ve heard a lot about the measles outbreak recently. This is a
travesty on so many levels because measles is a highly contagious
but vaccine preventable illnesses that was declared eliminated in
the United States in 2000. Today, in support of World Meningitis
Day, we’re going to talk about another vaccine preventable illness
starting with M: meningitis.
Our guests are both meningitis B advocates for the worst possible
reason: they each lost a teenaged daughter to the disease, before a
meningitis B vaccine was available in the US. While the meningitis
conjugated vaccines have been available for 4 other strains of
meningitis since 2005 (Menactra ® and Menveo ® ), the first
meningitis vaccine was available since 1978. The meningitis B
vaccine, however, only became available in the US in late 2014
(Bexsero ® and Trumenba ® ).
Patti Wukovits is a Registered Nurse and meningitis advocate
who lost her 17-year-old daughter Kimberly to Meningitis B in
2012. She has since started the Kimberly Coffey Foundation to
improve awareness of meningococcal disease and the vaccines
available to help prevent it.
Patti lives in Massapequa Park, NY, with her husband
John. In addition to Kimberly, she has three other adult
children.
Alicia Stillman is a meningitis advocate who lost her
19-year-old daughter Emily to Meningitis B in 2013. She has since
started the Emily Stillman Foundation to improve awareness of
meningococcal disease, the vaccines available to help prevent it,
and to encourage organ and tissue donation. Alicia lives with
her husband in West Bloomfield, Michigan, where she is the CFO
of a multi-state law firm. In addition to Emily, she has two other
adult children.
Patti & Alicia—and their foundations, the Kimberly Coffey
Foundation & the Emily Stillman Foundation—have partnered together
to launch the Meningitis B Action Project.