Young people whose lives have been changed by meningitis are joining forces with Meningitis Now to urge every eligible teenager and young adult in the UK to take up the offer of a free MenB vaccination this summer.
The NHS is rolling out a one-off MenB vaccination programme for young people due to start university in September. Beginning in England on 13th July 2026, the programme will offer around one million young people a MenB vaccine to help protect them against the disease before they start university.
Eliana Shaw-Lothian was in her first year at university when she fell ill with meningococcal meningitis. She was living in halls when she became seriously unwell, and it was thanks to her flatmates and parents that she was rushed to hospital in time to save her life. “Starting university is an exciting time, but it’s also when you’re meeting lots of new people and living closely together, which can increase the risk of MenB spreading. Offering the vaccine to 18-year-olds gives people protection at a crucial time, and I hope as many people as possible take up the opportunity.”
“If my friends and I were still 18 and eligible, I’d tell every one of them to get the MenB vaccine while it’s available. It only takes a short amount of time, but it could make a huge difference. At 18, it’s easy to think you’re invincible, and I certainly did. Looking back, I’d never pass up the chance to reduce the risk of going through what I experienced with meningitis. I’d tell my friends not to put it off; just book it and get it done.”
Lana Quinlan contracted meningitis just before she was due to start university in September 2022. “I want people to know that the MenB vaccine is vital. So many lives could potentially be saved. It’s only two injections to potentially prevent a lifetime of disability or life-changing after-effects. Get the vaccination, even if you don’t know anyone personally who has had meningitis and even if you think you’re invincible. It is vital. I had no idea about its effects or that I could get it, yet I was dying from a disease I didn’t even know existed, and I am still living with its after-effects.”
Teenagers and young people are the second most at-risk group for contracting meningitis, and MenB is one of the most common causes of meningitis among young people. Meningitis can kill within hours or leave survivors with life-changing after-effects, including limb loss, hearing loss, and acquired brain injury.
Two doses of the MenB vaccine are required for maximum protection. The second dose must be given at least four weeks after the first, and the vaccine reaches full effectiveness around two weeks later. The whole process therefore takes around six weeks from start to finish, which is why eligible young people are being urged to get their first dose as early as possible, ideally well before the autumn term begins.
Teenagers will not have received a MenB vaccination as infants because it was only added to the NHS childhood vaccination schedule in 2015. This means that unless they have received a MenB vaccination privately, they are unlikely to be protected against the disease.
Dr Tom Nutt, Chief Executive of Meningitis Now, said: “This summer represents an unmissable opportunity to protect thousands of young people against MenB. We want every eligible teenager and young adult to take up the offer of a free vaccination.”
“This NHS programme is a hugely positive step, and we are proud to support it. But we also know that protection cannot stop here. That’s why our ‘No Plan B for MenB’ campaign continues to call for a routine adolescent MenB vaccination programme, so future generations of young people receive this protection as part of routine NHS immunisation.”
“Meningitis can strike anyone, at any time, and its impact can be devastating. Vaccination is one of our most powerful tools for preventing meningococcal disease, but it only works if people come forward. We are asking parents, carers, schools, colleges, universities, and young people themselves to spread the word and make sure nobody misses this opportunity.”
Who is eligible
The NHS’s one-off MenB vaccination programme will be offered to
- Everyone in England and Wales born between 1st September 2007 and 31st August 2008 (current Year 13 students).
- Equivalent final-year school students in Scotland and Northern Ireland (Year 14 or S6).
- People under 25 who are attending university, or living in further education accommodation or halls of residence, for the first time in autumn 2026, including eligible students from the UK, the Crown Dependencies, and overseas.
Campaign calls for permanent protection
While welcoming this summer’s vaccination programme, Meningitis Now believes it should be the beginning, not the end, of improved MenB protection. The charity’s ‘No Plan B for MenB’ campaign calls for
- The MenB vaccine to be provided free of charge to everyone at greatest risk of the disease.
- A MenB booster programme for adolescents by 2030.
- MenB vaccination to be available on the high street at an affordable price.
For more information about the one-off MenB vaccination programme, eligibility, and Meningitis Now’s ‘No Plan B for MenB’ campaign, visit Meningitis Now.