Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in England, James Murray, said:
“The Kent outbreak and recent clusters indicate a possible change to the way MenB affects people.
“While we assess the latest evidence, we are acting now to help protect young people at highest immediate risk as they enter university and residential colleges this autumn.
“By offering two doses of the jabs ahead of the academic year, we will help reduce the risk of serious illness and larger outbreaks of this horrendous disease.”
The decision for the one-off programme, follows “three rather unusual clusters of MenB disease” and “concerns that we might be going through a period where we might start seeing more meningococcal disease activity in the coming years,” according to Prof Shamez Ladhani of the UKHSA.
In March this year there were 21 cases of meningitis B confirmed in an outbreak in Kent, with two deaths.
This outbreak was seen as unprecedented because of the number infected in such a short space of time.
There was also a cluster of three cases of meningitis B amongst young people in Weymouth in April this year.
In Reading one person died with the illness and a further three cases were confirmed in students.
Prof Ladhani said: “So far the number of cases this year is no different to the case numbers that we’ve seen in the last few years, but given that we are seeing these cases in young adults, action is being taken to protect those who are at highest risk immediately.”
While investigations were ongoing, he said one of the most likely explanations for the unusual outbreak in Kent was linked to the natural pattern of meningitis B, which cycles through years of low activity followed by higher activity.
We’ve had a “honeymoon period” of 25 years of low activity, he said, which means there hasn’t been as much exposure to the bacteria, leaving populations potentially more susceptible now.
The Bexsero vaccine being offered in this one-off programme is given routinely to babies and infants and evidence suggests protection lasts at least six years.
Evidence from the UK infant vaccination programme shows that vaccination has led to around a 75% reduction in MenB disease.
Vaccine experts are assessing whether to expand the routine vaccine programme.
Dr Tom Nutt, of charity Meningitis Now, said: “Today’s announcement will be welcomed by all those who have fought for better protection for precious young lives. It represents real progress and has significant potential to prevent cases of meningitis.
“There is still more work to do to ensure everyone at risk is protected, including those already at university and younger teenagers. We will also continue to campaign for the MenB vaccination to become part of the UK’s routine immunisation programme.”
He added that while vaccination was the best defence against meningitis, people should continue to be aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis and seek urgent medical help if they are concerned.
