KENT: Eligible young people across Kent and the wider UK will be offered protection against Meningitis (MenB) this summer before starting college or university in September.
The new, one-off vaccination programme is specifically targeting young individuals who complete year 13 of education in the summer of 2026—born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008—as well as anyone under 25 moving into residential further education settings or starting university for the first time this autumn.
The NHS will contact everyone who is eligible directly via the NHS app, text, email, or letter. Appointments can be booked for July and August to receive the two required doses of the vaccine, which must be administered at least four weeks apart.
Because meningitis spreads through close contact—such as living in the same accommodation, sharing drinks or vapes, and kissing—figures indicate that cases disproportionately affect teenagers and young adults. Infants are already offered this protection through the standard NHS schedule, and evidence from that infant programme shows a reassuring 75% reduction in MenB disease among vaccinated groups.
While this immediate rollout aims to protect those at the highest risk, the government is concurrently assessing new data to determine if the behavior of the disease is changing and whether a wider vaccine rollout will be required in the future.
Kent County Council Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr Ellen Schwartz, said:
“MenB outbreaks are relatively uncommon but, as the recent outbreak in Kent sadly showed, when they occur they can be devastating.
“We’re waiting to see the advice to government on a longer term MenB vaccine programme. In the meantime, this new one-off programme will give reassurance to many young people preparing to start college or university, as well as their families.
“As Meningitis can be life-threatening, the important thing is everyone who is eligible gets both their doses because that is what is needed to ensure maximum protection.”