[REVISION HISTORY]

UK MenB vaccine rollout to university students

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What changed

2026-08-03 01:44 UTC → 2026-08-22 10:45 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The 2026 MenB outbreaks in Dorset, Kent, Oxfordshire and Reading prompted a national catch‑up campaign aimed at university and further‑education students. From 20 July 2026 NHS England opened appointments at 435 Well Pharmacy branches, offering a free two‑dose Bexsero schedule to all under‑25s beginning higher‑education for the first time, as well as Year 13 pupils (born 1 Sept 2007 – 31 Aug 2008). Wales introduced a parallel programme in autumn 2026, mailing eligibility letters to eligible 17‑ to 25‑year‑olds and running through December. Local responses continued alongside the rollout. In Weymouth, Dorset, three MenB cases triggered an urgent school‑age vaccination and antibiotic prophylaxis drive for pupils in years 7‑13 across Weymouth, Portland and Chickerell. In Reading, a fourth case—a junior‑school pupil—was identified, bringing the total to four linked infections; contacts received antibiotics and parents were advised on symptoms, with officials stressing low risk to the wider public. The outbreak at Henley College, Oxfordshire, which claimed a student’s life and sickened two pupils from nearby schools, renewed calls for free MenB vaccination for young people. By early August, the NHS England campaign had administered over 89,000 first doses and booked more than 135,000 appointments, with walk‑in slots available for eligible 17‑ to 25‑year‑olds. Eligibility remains: anyone born on or after 21 July 2001 starting university or residential college, plus 17‑ and 18‑year‑olds born between 1 Sept 2007 and 31 Aug 2008. The programme aims to protect a group at roughly seven times the risk of MenB infection compared with non‑students. Following a severe outbreak in Kent that killed two teenagers, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended that all adolescents around age 15 be offered the MenB vaccine on the NHS, pending government approval.

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