Students in university halls in Kent are to be offered the meningitis B vaccine, Wes Streeting has said, as officials work to stem the spread of infection in an “unprecedented” outbreak.
The Health Secretary said most students would not already be vaccinated against menB, adding that the jabs will begin in the next few days.
He told MPs “This is an unprecedented outbreak. It is also a rapidly developing situation.”
He said the menB vaccine has been available on the NHS since 2015 as part of routine childhood immunisations, “but clearly most students would not be vaccinated”.
He added: “Given the severity of the situation, I can confirm to the House that we will begin a targeted vaccination programme for students living in halls of residence at the University of Kent in Canterbury, which will begin in the coming days.”
Some 15 cases of meningitis have so far been reported to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in Kent, up from 13 reported previously.
The UKHSA, which is investigating the outbreak that left two young people dead, said all the cases had required hospital admission, with four cases confirmed to have meningitis B. The two deaths are included in the 15 total cases.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people are being urged to get antibiotics, and four sites in Kent are up and running to give them out.
Mr Streeting also told the Commons he has asked the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to “re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines” for a wider group of people after it ruled a menB catch-up campaign for older children was not cost effective.
He said: “On the question of wider eligibility, we obviously follow the expert independent advice of the JCVI.
“In light of this latest outbreak, I will be asking them to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines.
“I will do so without prejudicing their decision because we have to follow the clinical advice on this.”
The Health Secretary also told MPs he was “confident” that the UKHSA acted as “quickly and comprehensively as possible” in its response to the outbreak of meningitis, after criticism that it was too slow to inform the public.
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