UK advisers recommend free meningitis B vaccine for teenagers from age 15

The UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that all teenagers should be offered the meningitis B (MenB) vaccine from the age of 15, reversing earlier guidance that said wider teenage vaccination was not necessary or cost-effective (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74glj9zkzko).

The reversal follows a MenB outbreak in Kent earlier this year that produced 29 confirmed or suspected meningitis cases and two deaths. The JCVI said the change is based on "recent new evidence" showing that teenagers are more likely to catch and fall ill from the infection because of their socially active lifestyles, and it thanked families affected — including those who died or suffered life-changing complications — for sharing their experiences (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74glj9zkzko).

Under the recommendation, teenagers would receive two doses at age 15, while those already vaccinated as babies would need only a single top-up dose; people getting the jab would not have to pay. The Department of Health and Social Care said it will "consider the advice and will update on any future programme in due course," with final decisions resting with ministers in each UK nation (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74glj9zkzko).

Campaigners welcomed the move. Dr Tom Nutt of Meningitis Now called it a "significant moment" in the fight against the disease, while Becca Heritage — who had her legs and a hand amputated after contracting MenB as a student — urged the government to follow the recommendation, saying "young people's lives are at stake" (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74glj9zkzko).

MenB infection can cause meningitis and blood poisoning (sepsis) and can lead to amputations, hearing loss, brain damage or death. All babies have been offered the MenB jab since 2015, but those over 11 have not, leaving a gap that recent outbreaks have exposed. This summer, pharmacies are already offering free MenB jabs to young people heading to university as a one-off campaign (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74glj9zkzko).

*Source Reporters corrects errors promptly. Report corrections to corrections@sourcereporters.com.*