Reading meningitis - New MenB vaccine rollout after outbreak

Health officials found five cases of meningitis infection among young people in the Reading area in May.

One sixth-form student at Henley College, Lewis Waters, sadly died.

The other Reading cases, who received treatment, were confirmed as students at Reading Blue Coat School, Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre, and Westwood Farm Junior School.

In late May, another meningitis case was identified at nearby Wokingham College, bringing the total number of cases in the area to five.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed at the time that at least four of the five cases were meningitis B, although they were not the same strain as the Kent outbreak earlier this year.

After the Reading outbreak, UKHSA advised young people to check if their vaccines are up to date.

Now, UKHSA has announced a "new, time-limited" MenB vaccine rollout this summer for Year 13 students and people under 25 who will be starting university or moving into residential education settings for the first time in autumn 2026.

Normally, the MenB vaccine is routinely offered to babies by the NHS but most people over the age of two who want the vaccine have to pay to do so through private clinics and pharmacies.

The NHS MenB vaccine programme for babies was also only introduced in 2015, meaning people born earlier may not have had it.

The NHS does offer teenagers (and anyone up to the age of 25 if they missed it at school) the MenACWY vaccine, which protects against four other strains of meningitis.

The new MenB vaccine rollout this summer has specifically been introduced "in response to recent meningitis outbreaks", UKHSA said, while the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is also carrying out "a full review of the evidence" to see if the vaccine should be offered to other groups.

Olivia Bailey, Labour MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire, shared the news online and said she is "pleased" by the rollout.

Who is eligible for the new, time-limited rollout?

According to UKHSA, the following groups are eligible for the special MenB vaccine rollout this summer:

• young people currently in school Year 13 in England and Wales (born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008), in year S6 in Scotland (born between 01 March 2008 and 28 February 2009) and in year 14 in Northern Ireland born between 02 July 2007 and 01 July 2008 
• all undergraduate freshers who turn 25 after 31 December 2026 who will be attending university for the first time in autumn 2026 
• anyone who turns 25 after 31 December 2026 and who will be living in further education accommodation or halls of residence for the first time in autumn 2026 

The rollout does not include all young people, as it is designed as a "one-off, time-limited programme to offer vaccination to those at highest risk", UKHSA explained.

The agency noted that data on meningitis from the past five years indicates that apart from infants, the highest number of cases are seen in 18- 19-year-olds, and first-year university students have a seven times higher risk than their peers who are not at university.

"It is really important that anyone eligible who is going to university or living in halls at a further education college for the first time gets both doses of the MenB vaccine wherever possible before they leave home," UKHSA said. "If you're eligible, don't wait - book as soon as you can."

The vaccine rollout will be available at community pharmacies in England and starts from July 2026.

Students in Year 13 will be contacted by the NHS and sent a link through which they can book an appointment.

Those resident at university or other further education institutions will be able to arrange a vaccination by walking in to a participating pharmacy.

People need two doses of the MenB vaccine for it to be effective, with the second dose given 28 days after the first.

Anyone eligible for the special rollout will be able to book their first dose until December 31, 2026, and their second dose until March 31, 2027.