Meningitis B vaccine to be offered to a million young people

The decision for the one-off vaccine programme follows the unprecedented outbreak in Kent this year.

The vaccine will be offered to year 11 pupils at schools affected by the Kent outbreak. On Monday, 20 cases of meningitis had been confirmed, with a further three under investigation.

The number of meningitis cases following the outbreak in Kent has risen to 34, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said. The total has risen from 29 on Thursday. It includes two - a 21-year-old student at the University of Kent and a sixth form pupil at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham - who died from the infection in Kent last weekend.

Keeleigh Goodwin, 21, was among more than a dozen people hospitalised after a deadly meningitis outbreak in Canterbury, in Kent. The outbreak killed two students. Keeleigh, who is now recovering at home with her family, told ITV Meridian of the 'scary' ordeal she underwent, explaining she had been left with 'a lot of anxiety'.

Following the outbreak of Meningitis B in Kent earlier in the year, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has decided to commission a one-off Meningitis B vaccination programme for young people in year 13 and others who will be heading to universities and other higher education institutions in September 2026, to be delivered through community pharmacies as an Advanced service.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is continuing to investigate an outbreak of meningococcal disease in Kent and a rolling news story is being regularly updated on their website: Cases of invasive meningococcal disease notified in Kent - GOV.UK. Public Health Scotland (PHS) carefully monitors meningococcal disease in Scotland on an ongoing basis. PHS is working closely with UKHSA, other public health colleagues across the UK and NHS boards in Scotland, to monitor the situation. There are currently no cases known to be linked to this outbreak in Scotland.

A one-off vaccine programme will be rolled out to nearly a million young people in England, Wales, and Scotland to protect against meningitis B, following an unprecedented outbreak in Kent this year.

In response to recent deadly outbreaks, including a significant cluster in Kent, the UK government is offering a one-off Meningitis B (MenB) vaccination programme to one million students, providing two doses to eligible individuals starting in July 2026.