Teens at risk of meningitis have just one option – spend £330 on private jabs

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NHS access to the MenB vaccine to protect against meningitis should be expanded to plug a “serious gap” in protection for young people, the Government has been told.

Overturning a decision not to offer the jab to teenagers and young adults could make a “critical” difference in preventing outbreaks among students, the UK’s leading meningitis research charity said.

It follows the deaths of a University of Kent student and a Year 13 pupil after contracting meningitis, and 11 more fell ill and were hospitalised with symptoms.

Meningitis – an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord – can cause major health complications and lead to life-threatening sepsis. Up to one in 10 cases of bacterial meningitis are fatal, according to estimates.

The Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) said: “We want to see better protection for teenagers and young adults, including improved access to routine MenB vaccination.

“This age group should be better protected through the UK’s routine immunisation programme.”

A MenB vaccination has been offered to infants since 2015, but the following year the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation rejected calls for the MenB vaccine to be offered beyond 12 months.

Anyone who falls outside the NHS criteria for the jab faces paying as much as £330 for a full MenB vaccination course (two to three doses) privately at Superdrug, with Boots and Well Pharmacy charging £220, and Asda charging £179.76.

‘Cost should not be a barrier’

Campaigners have called for Government subsidies of the vaccines.

“Cost should not be a barrier when we are talking about such a serious illness as meningitis, which can be deadly and leaves one in five survivors with lifelong disabilities,” the MRF said.

The particular strain involved in the outbreak has not yet been confirmed, but MenB is responsible for the majority of UK cases of invasive meningococcal disease, and contributed to the highest proportion of cases in individuals aged 25 years and over in 2024, the latest Government figures show. It also increasingly affects young people aged 15 to 24.

Andrew Preston, a professor of microbial pathogenicity at University of Bath, said if it is determined that MenB is the cause of the outbreak, it will increase scrutiny on the protection needed for adolescent groups who missed out on the infant vaccine.

“Gradually over time, the proportion of people who will have received a MenB vaccine will increase. But it still leaves … significant groups unprotected in the meantime,” he said.

The charity Meningitis Now is also calling for more people to have access to the MenB vaccine.

Worries about exposure to meningitis have prompted hundreds of people to queue for “precautionary” antibiotics at the University of Kent campus in Canterbury, which has cancelled in-person assessments.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has contacted more than 30,000 individuals to inform them of the outbreak. Close contacts of cases have also been given antibiotics as a precautionary measure.

The infections that cause meningitis generally spread through close contact, kissing, coughing and sneezing. Young adults in settings such as halls of residence and shared housing are particularly at risk, the MRF said.

The i Paper understands that supply of the MenB vaccine, Bexsero, which is manufactured by GSK, would need to be ramped up if the Government decided to significantly expand eligibility criteria.

Last year, there were reports that private stocks of the jab were in short supply in Jersey and the UK.

Prof Preston said the MenB vaccine is quite “difficult” to make and “there’s relatively few companies that make these types of vaccines”, which could affect availability.

The National Pharmacy Association said some pharmacies are already reporting an uptick in patients contacting them about meningitis vaccination.

Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association, added: “What we really need now is a proactive, national approach: NHS England must commission pharmacies to deliver vaccines for adolescents and young adults. This includes the 3-in-1 teenage booster and Meningitis ACWY.”

Teenagers aged 13 and 14 are offered MenACWY vaccines, which offer protection against four strains, and anyone aged under 25 who missed out can catch up on the vaccination for free via the NHS. The UKHSA advises this should be done as soon as possible “especially if at university or another higher education institution”.

Trish Mannes, the UKHSA regional deputy director for the South East, said: “Meningococcal disease can progress rapidly, so it’s essential that students and staff are alert to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia, which can include a fever, headache, rapid breathing, drowsiness, shivering, vomiting and cold hands and feet.

“Septicaemia can also cause a characteristic rash that does not fade when pressed against a glass.”

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