GSK is teaming up with “Modern Family” stars Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell to help get out the messaging: “ask to be sure” about the risks of meningococcal disease.
This disease is most prevalent amongst teens and young adults, namely 16 to 23-year-olds, who have the highest rates of meningitis.
There can also be small epidemic outbreaks at colleges and schools because of the close quarters of these institutions. The disease can be fatal and lead to death within just 24 hours of symptoms. Those who do survive can remain seriously ill for weeks and face limb amputations if the disease is not caught in time.
The best way to protect against the disease is vaccination, and GSK is asking Bowen and Burrell, who played parents of three teenagers in the hit comedy Modern Family—and who now both have teens themselves—to share their message “Ask2BSure.”
This public health campaign is set up “to raise awareness and encourage parents to ‘ask to be sure’ about the risks of meningococcal disease,” and whether their children are fully vaccinated.
The pair star in a new video, “The Mening-Itinerary,” which is available now on GSK’s YouTube channel.
The Mening-Itinerary takes viewers on a journey through everyday moments of parenting teens and how, through certain everyday behaviors, they may share the bacteria that can cause meningitis.
Bowen and Burrell dig deeper into meningitis risks, listen to stories from real-life disease survivors and their families, and find questions parents may not realize they could ask about meningitis and vaccination.
“We are excited to bring this educational message to life, blending humor and heart in a way that is accessible to fellow parents of teens,” Burrell said in a May 7 statement.
“My teen daughters are everything to me, and I hope this video encourages parents to have a conversation with their teen’s doctor about meningitis risk and vaccination," he added.
GSK last summer nabbed FDA approval for Penmenvy, its 5-in-1 meningococcal vaccine, to help protect against meningococcal serogroups A, B, C, W and Y.
The pharma made £335 million ($445 million) from its meningitis products in the first quarter, down 3% year-over-year.
This comes amid declining rates in the U.S. across all childhood vaccinations.
The campaign also comes at a poignant time for the British Big Pharma’s native country. In March, a major outbreak of meningitis occurred in and around the University of Kent in eastern England, killing two students.
Identified as coming from the meningococcal group B (MenB) bacteria strain, this led to a major push for students to gain antibiotics as a precautionary measure and, later, a boost in vaccinations against MenB.
In the U.K., MenB vaccination was not part of the government immunization program until 2015, leaving most teenagers and young adults unvaccinated.