Men B Vaccination Programme Announcement

The formal notification letter for the MenB vaccination programme was issued on Tuesday: Meningococcal B (MenB) time limited vaccination offer letter – GOV.UK

Key points:

• One-off vaccination programme starting in July (expected 20^th July), aims to vaccinate individuals prior to the start of the 2026/27 university academic year
• Current year 13 age group (DoB between 1^st Sept 2007 and 31^st Aug 2008) plus anyone entering higher education or living in further education accommodation/halls of residence for the first time in autumn 2026 (anyone turning 25 years of age after 21^st July 2026)
• 2 doses required – efficacy is not great after 1 dose so 2^nd dose is important. 28 days required in between doses.
• Bexsero® vaccine provides good protection against most, but not all, strains of MenB bacteria
• Aim to vaccinate prior to September 2026 but 1^st doses available until 31^st December 2026 and 2^nd doses until 31^st March 2027
• Community pharmacies to be commissioned to provide the one-off programme – service specification to be issued in due course but NBS booking ability is expected
• Invitations will be issued through national call/recall for those in year 13
• Self-referrals will be in place for anyone else entering higher education/accommodation – evidence will need to be presented
• Vaccinations will be recorded via RAVS and events will flow to GP records