Teenagers should be vaccinated on the NHS to protect against deadly meningitis B, Government advisers have said. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended that youngsters who had the menB jab as a baby should receive a booster aged 15. It also “strongly supports” offering two doses to adolescents born on or before 30 April 2015, before infant vaccinations started.
The suggestions are separate to the one-off catch-up programme already announced for this summer. Professor Wei Shen Lim, JCVI chairman, said: “Following the meningitis outbreaks in early 2026, a one-off programme for two-doses of menB vaccine is being offered to eligible young people this summer.
“We encourage everyone who is eligible to book an appointment online to receive the vaccine at a local pharmacy, in time for the second dose to be received before heading off to university or college.
“For protection, two doses of the menB vaccine are necessary, at least 28 days apart.
“Additionally, JCVI has now also provided Government with a recommendation and additional considerations for a future routine menB adolescent vaccination programme for those aged around 15 years.
“The Department of Health and Social Care will now consider this with a decision to be made in due course.”
Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said the recommendation was “a vital public health intervention”.
He added: “While infants have received the MenB vaccine since 2015, today’s older teenagers missed out on this. The decision to target teenagers makes sense.
“Teenagers are the second-highest risk group for contracting the bacteria that causes meningitis because high-density environments like schools and universities act as transmission hotbeds, where the spread of the pathogen is accelerated through coughs and close contact.”
Outbreaks among young people in Kent and Reading claimed three lives earlier this year.
Thousands of adolescents were given precautionary antibiotics and vaccinations in the affected areas.
Prof Lim added: “Invasive meningococcal disease is a rare but very serious illness, which can have a devastating impact on lives.
“JCVI has worked closely with meningitis charities and would like to thank all those who responded, including on behalf of loved ones who sadly died or had life-changing complications.
“Their lived experiences were carefully considered and our thoughts are with those who continue to be affected by this disease.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
