Overview
- The UK Health Security Agency issued an urgent public appeal on Wednesday for families to check eligibility so eligible young people do not miss the free MenB jab.
- The offer covers everyone who completes Year 13 in summer 2026 (born Sept 1, 2007–Aug 31, 2008) and under-25s starting first-time residential higher education, including international students.
- The NHS will begin giving first doses from July 20 with second doses at least 28 days later; Year 13 pupils will be contacted directly and incoming freshers can use participating pharmacies.
- The one-off programme was fast-tracked after this year's clusters, most notably the March outbreak at the University of Kent where two students died, which officials said signalled a possible change in MenB patterns.
- Health chiefs say first-year students face about seven times the risk of their non-university peers and warn MenB can cause rapid meningitis or septicaemia with serious long-term harm, while the vaccine's common side effects are usually mild.