UK advisers recommend meningitis B vaccine for all teenagers on NHS
9 reported
A UK government committee has recommended that all teenagers across the country be offered the meningitis B vaccine on the NHS following several fatal outbreaks. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that young people should receive the vaccine at age 15, along with catch-up programs for those who missed it. This recommendation comes after outbreaks in Kent and Berkshire this year, including a March outbreak linked to a Canterbury nightclub that killed two people and left over a dozen hospitalized, and a May outbreak in Berkshire that led to the death of a school student. The committee also supports giving two doses to children born on or before April 30, 2015, who were not offered the vaccine as infants. A one-off vaccination campaign has already been launched this summer for about a million young people attending university or further residential education in the autumn. The family of 18-year-old Juliette Kenny, who died in the Kent outbreak, has been campaigning for routine vaccination of teenagers and young adults.
What’s reported
The JCVI recommended offering the meningitis B vaccine to all teenagers on the NHS at age 15, with catch-up programs for those who missed it.
The recommendation follows several meningitis outbreaks in the UK, including a March outbreak in Kent linked to a Canterbury nightclub that killed two people and hospitalized over a dozen.
A May outbreak in Berkshire led to the death of a school student.
The committee recommends a booster for those aged around 15 who had the menB jab as an infant, with the first cohort turning 15 in 2030.
Children who missed the jab as a baby will be offered two doses.
The committee “strongly supports” giving two doses to children born on or before April 30, 2015, when they are around 15.
A one-off vaccination campaign has been launched this summer for about a million young people attending university or further residential education.
About 300 to 400 cases of meningococcal disease are diagnosed in England every year, though outbreaks are rare.
The Kent outbreak was described as “unprecedented” by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the quickest-growing spread experts had seen.
Key figures
Prof Wei Shen Lim, chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)
Juliette Kenny, 18-year-old who died in the March Kent outbreak
Dr Tom Nutt, chief executive of Meningitis Now
Sources: The Guardian
