NHS to offer second dose of MenB vaccine after Kent outbreak

Almost 12,000 people who were given meningitis B vaccinations following a deadly outbreak last month in Kent will be offered their second dose from next week.

Two people died and another 19 were confirmed to have the disease. The vaccine programme, which includes two doses, was offered to those who may have been exposed, including some university students and school pupils in the area.

Clinics are set to open in Canterbury, Faversham and Ashford and those eligible will be able to schedule an appointment via an online booking system.

Students living in university halls in Kent, and those who attended a nightclub connected to the outbreak, were among those being offered the jabs.

NHS Kent and Medway has said appointments will be available across multiple clinics and hubs, with more information on how to book due to be published from Monday.

According to the NHS, the vaccine protects against most types of meningococcal group B bacteria in the UK.

A second dose must be given at least four weeks after the first, but can be given later.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the outbreak at the time as "unprecedented" due to the number of people who became infected in a short time frame.

A 21-year-old university student, whose name was not made public, and sixth form pupil Juliette Kenny both died after contracting the infection - many others received in-patient hospital care.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared a national incident in a bid to help with the rollout of national resources, such as the supply of antibiotics.

A targeted vaccination programme was offered initially to students in university halls in Kent before being expanded to those who attended local nightclub Club Chemistry where the outbreak is thought to have originated.

Other groups also later became eligible for the programme, including certain sixth form students attending a school or college where there had been a confirmed or probable case.

Preventative antibiotics were offered to a wider cohort, with queues of people photographed across several days at the University of Kent waiting to receive the treatment.

A routine vaccination programme for MenB was introduced in the UK in 2015 for babies and young children.

At the time, UK advisers decided a widespread NHS catch-up campaign to vaccinate teenagers was not cost-effective.

Teenagers are offered the MenACWY vaccine, which protects against four types of bacteria that can cause meningitis but does not include MenB.

As a result of the recent outbreak, Streeting asked independent experts in the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to look again at the decision not to vaccinate teenagers.