One-off MenB vaccination programme announced for school leavers and new university students

The Government has announced a one-off NHS vaccination programme to protect young people against meningococcal B (MenB) disease following recent outbreaks in England.

The programme is designed to provide protection before the start of the 2026/27 academic year and follows the largest recorded MenB outbreak in the UK, along with several other clusters of cases affecting young people.

Who is eligible?

The one-off programme will offer the MenB vaccine to:

• all young people completing Year 13 in summer 2026 (born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008), regardless of whether they plan to attend university
• people under the age of 25 who are starting university or moving into residential further education for the first time in autumn 2026.

Eligible individuals will require two doses of the vaccine for full protection. The first dose is expected to be offered from late July, with the second dose given in August, at least 28 days later.

Why has this programme been introduced?

The decision follows an unprecedented outbreak of MenB disease centred on the University of Kent earlier this year, alongside additional clusters in other parts of England.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), first-year university students are at increased risk of meningococcal disease because of close and prolonged contact in shared accommodation and social settings. The programme aims to provide protection before students begin university and before the usual seasonal increase in cases during the autumn.

What does this mean for healthcare providers?

GP practices, community pharmacies, school immunisation teams and healthcare professionals working with young people should be aware of the new programme and the eligibility criteria.

Providers may also wish to encourage eligible young people and their families to look out for NHS communications and take up the vaccination offer when invited.

The programme is intended as a time-limited public health response while the Government and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) continue to assess whether longer-term changes to the UK’s meningococcal vaccination programme are required.

Further reading

For more information, visit:

• UK Health Security Agency – Who is eligible for the new one-off MenB vaccine programme?
• GOV.UK – Thousands of young people to be offered two-dose MenB vaccine
• GOV.UK – Meningococcal B (MenB) time-limited vaccination offer

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