NHS to offer second MenB vaccine after deadly Kent outbreak

Nearly 12,000 individuals who received meningitis B vaccinations following a fatal outbreak in Kent last month are scheduled to receive their second dose starting next week. The initial programme was implemented after two deaths and 19 confirmed cases of the disease. This vaccination effort, which requires two doses, targeted people who might have been exposed, including some university students and school-aged children in the affected region.

Clinics have been arranged in Canterbury, Faversham, and Ashford, with those eligible able to book appointments via an online system. The vaccination campaign focused particularly on students residing in university halls in Kent and those who had visited a nightclub linked to the outbreak. According to NHS Kent and Medway, multiple clinics and hubs will provide appointment slots, with detailed booking instructions set to be released from Monday.

The vaccine used is designed to protect against most strains of meningococcal group B bacteria circulating in the UK. A minimum interval of four weeks is required between the first and second doses, although the second dose can be administered later if necessary. Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the outbreak as “unprecedented,” highlighting the sharp increase in infections over a brief period. Among those who died were a 21-year-old university student and a sixth former named Juliette Kenny, while many others needed hospitalization.

To manage the situation, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared a national incident, mobilizing resources such as antibiotic supplies. Initially, vaccination efforts were concentrated on students living in halls of residence, but the programme later expanded to include attendees of Club Chemistry, the nightclub considered the outbreak’s origin point. Additional groups, including certain sixth form students attending schools or colleges with confirmed or probable cases, also became eligible. Preventative antibiotics were offered more broadly, resulting in long queues at the University of Kent as people awaited treatment.

The MenB vaccine has been part of the UK’s routine immunisation schedule since 2015, primarily for babies and young children. Despite this, UK advisers previously concluded that a mass catch-up campaign for teenagers was not cost-effective. Teenagers routinely receive the MenACWY vaccine, which protects against four meningococcal bacteria types but does not cover MenB. Following this recent outbreak, Health Secretary Streeting has requested that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) reassess the policy on teenage vaccination against meningitis B

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