Overview
- Bookings for the one‑off MenB offer opened this week and the first pharmacy appointments are available from Monday 20 July.
- Around one million young people in England are eligible, including Year 13 pupils aged 17–18 and under‑25s starting university or residential further education for the first time.
- The vaccine requires two doses given at least 28 days apart and health officials say completing both over the summer provides robust protection ahead of term.
- The Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education have set up a School‑Aged Vaccination Taskforce to boost uptake while the JCVI reviews whether a larger, longer programme is needed.
- Officials stress the move follows unusually large MenB clusters this year, including a Kent outbreak that killed two teenagers, and note first‑year students face about seven times the risk of their non‑student peers.