Following an unprecedented and fatal March 2026 meningococcal B outbreak in Kent that killed two teenagers, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that the UK government routinely offer the MenB vaccine to all 15-year-olds. The proposal includes a single booster dose for teenagers vaccinated as infants and a two-dose schedule for unprimed adolescents. This routine plan would supplement a current one-off summer campaign targeting one million university-bound students.
Kent MenB outbreak
- ▪The Kent meningococcal B outbreak was linked to a Canterbury nightclub and was described by health officials as the largest and fastest-growing ever recorded in the United Kingdom.
- ▪A major meningococcal B outbreak in Kent, England, in March 2026 killed two teenagers and left over a dozen people requiring hospital treatment.
- ▪The family of 18-year-old Juliette Kenny, who died in the Kent outbreak, campaigned for teenagers and young people to receive routine access to the meningococcal B vaccine.
JCVI recommendation for 15-year-old vaccination
- ▪The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended a single booster dose of the 4CMenB vaccine at age 15 for adolescents who received the vaccine in infancy, starting with the cohort turning 15 in 2030.
- ▪The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation strongly supported offering two doses of the meningococcal B vaccine to adolescents born on or before April 30, 2015, who did not receive it as infants.
- ▪The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended that the United Kingdom government introduce a routine meningococcal B vaccination programme for adolescents around the age of 15.
- ▪The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended a catch-up programme for adolescents who would miss out due to being too young for the 2026 one-off campaign or too old for the routine 15-year-old programme.
Current UK MenB vaccination programme
- ▪The United Kingdom has routinely offered the meningococcal B vaccine to infants since 2015, but has not previously offered it routinely to adolescents.
- ▪Data from the UK Health Security Agency indicates that the infant meningococcal B vaccine is highly effective, providing strong protection for at least five years after vaccination.
University student vaccination campaign
- ▪A one-off summer vaccination campaign is offering two doses of the meningococcal B vaccine to approximately one million Year 13 pupils and individuals under 25 starting university or residential further education in autumn 2026.
- ▪The one-off meningococcal B vaccine campaign requires two doses administered at least 28 days apart, with the first doses offered starting July 20, 2026.
Story comments
Loading comments…