NHS launches largest MenB vaccination push ahead of university term

The NHS has begun its largest-ever MenB catch-up campaign, urging students and young people to get vaccinated before returning to university amid rising concerns over meningococcal B infections in shared living environments.

The NHS has launched what it says is its largest-ever catch-up campaign for the MenB vaccine, with health leaders urging students and other eligible young people to protect themselves before the new academic year begins.

The drive is aimed at those most at risk of meningococcal B infection, which spreads through close contact and is especially concerning for people entering shared living environments for the first time. Yasmin Khan, the NHS regional medical director for the North East and Yorkshire, said the move to university often brings frequent contact with new people and more time in communal settings. She warned that, although MenB is uncommon, it can cause severe complications including hearing loss, brain injury, limb loss and death.

Early take-up appears strong. NHS figures show 13,107 first doses were given across the North East and Yorkshire in the first 11 days of the programme, including 4,456 in the North East and North Cumbria area. In the East of England, more than 14,414 young people received a first dose in the first two weeks, while the North West saw more than 12,000 vaccinations in the first month as the campaign gathered pace.

The vaccine is being offered to people born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008, as well as eligible students born on or after 21 July 2001 who are starting university or certain residential further education colleges for the first time this autumn. Two doses, at least 28 days apart, are needed for full protection. The NHS says thousands of appointments have already been booked at participating pharmacies and is encouraging students to include the jab in their back-to-term plans alongside accommodation, finance and travel arrangements.