Rugby star Matt Dawson calls for all children to be vaccinated against meningitis B after son's battle with disease
*WARNING: Some viewers may find some of the images in this story upsetting.*
Former England rugby star Matt Dawson has called for a meningitis B vaccine to be available to all children after he shared pictures of his son's battle with the disease.
The former England captain posted a picture of his two-year-old son Sammi online, saying the family had gone through "two weeks of hell" but that the youngster was expected to make a recovery after being treated in hospital.
Speaking to ITV News, Matt said: "It (the meningitis B vaccine) should be available not just to toddlers, but to children across the board.
"It's a ridiculous thought that a year-old child is not at the moment eligible for a meningitis B vaccine."
Currently the vaccine is available on the NHS for babies aged two to five months. If parents want older children immunised they have to pay for it privately at a cost of up to £135 per injection.
Matt is urging people to sign a petition for all children, not just babies, to be vaccinated against meningitis B up to the age of 11.
It comes after Jenny Burdett shared a heartbreaking picture of her two-year-old daughter Faye, who died from meningitis on Valentine's Day.
The family, from Maidstone in Kent, were given just a 1% chance of survival but little Faye carried on fighting for 11 days until she "finally fell asleep forever".
Mrs Burdett is also calling on people to back the petition saying: "All children are at risk from this terrible infection. There needs to be a rollout programme to vaccinate all children, at least up to age 11."
Watch the full video report by ITV News Correspondent Duncan Gollestani: