- About one million Year 13 pupils and those under 25 embarking on university or residential further education this autumn will be offered a one-off Meningitis B (MenB) vaccine programme.
- The initiative, announced by the government, follows a series of outbreaks, including a cluster in Kent that claimed two teenage lives.
- Eligible individuals will receive two doses of the vaccine, with the first available from 20 July and the second administered in August, requiring at least 28 days between jabs for full protection.
- Health Secretary James Murray said: “I urge all those students who are eligible to come forward for their two doses in July and August, to give them peace of mind as they head off to continue their studies."
- While welcomed by charities, there are calls for a broader MenB vaccination programme. Vinny Smith, chief executive of the Meningitis Research Foundation, said: “Teens and young adults who fall outside the current eligibility criteria remain at risk of menB.”
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