UK launches one-off MenB vaccination programme in wake of largest outbreak

LONDON - British health authorities said on Friday they will offer thousands of students protection against meningococcal B disease (MenB) through a one-off vaccination programme, acting after the country's largest outbreak of the disease earlier this year.

• Two people died in March in a MenB outbreak in Kent, southeast England, which health authorities said was the largest and fastest-growing ever seen in Britain.

• UK authorities said on Friday that there have also been more clusters of the disease this year than is usual and they have been bigger than expected.

• The new programme launched this summer will protect those at the highest immediate risk from the disease while the government assesses new evidence to determine whether any further vaccine rollout response is required.

• Those targeted by the two-dose programme include all Year 13 (17- and 18-year-old) pupils in England, and those under 25 starting university or residential further education for the first time this autumn.

• The programme is designed to provide protection for those starting university this autumn.

• MenB tends to affect students disproportionately as the risk is higher due to close and prolonged contact in halls of residence and at social events.

• Adolescents in Britain – as in many other countries – are not routinely vaccinated against meningitis B, but since 2015, the country has offered a vaccine against the disease to babies.

(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by William James)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 12:06 AM.