Listen: Government MenB vaccine rollout

Students starting university for the first time are at greater risk of contracting meningitis. Living in shared
accommodation and mixing with new people increases the likelihood of catching MenB, the most common cause of meningitis in this age group. Meningitis can strike quickly and without warning, causing life-changing disabilities and, in some cases, death — and today’s teenagers won’t have had a MenB vaccination as children, as it only joined the NHS infant schedule in 2015 — so unless vaccinated privately, they are unprotected.

That’s why the UK Health Security Agency has announced a free, time-limited MenB vaccination programme for a million eligible young people in the 2026/27 academic year — vaccines that normally cost up to £220. England’s online booking service is now open, and Scotland’s free MenB vaccine service launched on the 6th of July. The offer covers everyone in England and Wales born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008 (current Year 13 students), equivalent final-year school students in Scotland and Northern Ireland (Year 14 or S6), and under-25s attending university or living in further education accommodation or halls of residence for the first time in autumn 2026 — including eligible UK, Crown Dependency and international students.

Timing matters: students need two doses, the second at least four weeks after the first, completed at least two weeks before starting university in September — six weeks in total, so families should book now.

Aston spoke to Dr Tom Nutt, CEO of Meningitis Now, Michelle Bresnahan & Leo Strider.