LONDON: All 15-year-olds in Britain should be offered the vaccine against meningococcal B disease (MenB), an expert committee said on Thursday, changing its previous advice after the country’s largest outbreak of the disease earlier this year.
The government will now consider the recommendation before making any changes to national vaccination programmes.
Two people died in March in a MenB outbreak in Kent, southeast England, which health authorities said was the largest and fastest-growing ever seen in Britain.
Adolescents in Britain — as in many other countries — are not routinely vaccinated against meningitis B, but since 2015, the country has offered a vaccine against the disease to babies.
An independent expert scientific committee was asked to review vaccination plans in the wake of the March outbreak, and has now said teenagers aged about 15 should routinely be offered the vaccine.
The change to advice followed consideration of updated evidence of vaccine effectiveness, uncertainties regarding future disease levels, the recent outbreaks and cost-effectiveness analysis.
The committee said the MenB vaccine given to infants was “highly effective”, and by vaccinating teenagers at 15 they would have protection for the years when they are at a higher risk from the disease.
In June, UK health authorities offered a one-off vaccination programme for 17- and 18-year-olds and under 25s who were due to start university later this year.
MenB tends to affect students disproportionately as the risk is higher due to close and prolonged contact in halls of residence and at social events.