UK Experts Recommend Free Meningitis B Vaccine For All Teenagers Aged 15

UK Experts Recommend Free Meningitis B Vaccine for All Teenagers Aged 15 Independent UK health advisers have recommended that all teenagers should be offered a free meningitis B MenB vaccine at around the age of 15, marking a significant change from previous vaccination guidance following recent outbreaks of the disease. The recommendation was issued by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation JCVI and will now be considered by the UK government before any changes are made to the NHS vaccination programme. The revised advice follows the UK’s largest recorded outbreak of meningococcal B disease earlier this year, centred in Kent, where several people died and many others became seriously ill. The outbreak prompted the government to ask the JCVI to review whether routine vaccination should be expanded beyond infancy.

Under the proposal, teenagers who received the MenB vaccine as babies would be offered one booster dose at around 15 years of age. Those born before the vaccine became part of the infant immunisation programme in 2015 who did not receive it as babies would be offered two doses. The JCVI also recommends catch-up programmes to ensure young people who might otherwise miss out are protected. The committee said adolescents face an increased risk of meningococcal disease because of close social contact in schools, colleges and universities. Although the disease is rare, it can develop rapidly and cause meningitis, bloodstream infections sepsis, permanent disabilities or death if not treated quickly. The recommendation builds on a separate one-off vaccination campaign already launched this summer. Around one million eligible school leavers and first-year university students across the UK are being offered two free doses of the MenB vaccine ahead of the new academic year after a rise in infections. Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of the JCVI, said the committee reviewed new scientific evidence on vaccine effectiveness, recent disease patterns and the impact of recent outbreaks before making its recommendation. He encouraged all eligible young people to receive the current summer vaccine offer while the government considers the longer-term proposal. The Department of Health and Social Care said it will assess the JCVI’s recommendations before deciding whether to incorporate the new adolescent MenB vaccination programme into the routine NHS immunisation schedule. If approved, the routine programme for teenagers would begin with the first eligible cohort turning 15 in 2030, alongside transitional catch-up arrangements.