Why is MenB vaccine not given to teenagers in UK and should they be offered it?

## Summary
Why is MenB vaccine not given to teenagers in UK and should they be offered it? 25 minutes ago Share Save Michelle Roberts Digital health editor Share Save Getty Images Meningitis B, known as MenB, is the strain of bacteria behind the outbreak of meningitis cases in young people in Kent, experts have confirmed. Teenagers are currently offered another meningitis vaccine - the MenACWY vaccine - which protects against some other strains, but not MenB. It was after we knew what strain she had, meningitis B, that she wasn't vaccinated against that and we had no idea that she didn't have protection against that." Call for 'catch-up' MenB vaccination campaign Given the severity of the situation in Kent, a small targeted vaccination programme will begin starting with students resident at Canterbury Campus Halls of Residence at the University of Kent in the coming days. Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of the immunisation and vaccine preventable diseases division at the UKHSA, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme the outbreak of meningitis had been "unusual" but she did not believe there was a current risk to anyone outside of the Kent region. "I think it's important to stress that the cases have all been linked to a particular geographical area, in the Kent area. "We have no evidence of any wider spread. "So it's really important to reassure people across the country that there's no evidence of wider spread at the current time but it's important, in terms of vaccination, to make sure that your children are fully up to date with the vaccines that are available, and to be alert to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease." Symptoms can develop suddenly and can include: A rash that doesn't fade when pressed with a glass Sudden onset of high fever Severe and worsening headache Stiff neck Vomiting and diarrhoea Joint and muscle pain Dislike of bright lights Very cold hands and feet Seizures Confusion/delirium Extreme sleepiness/difficulty waking Students in the affected area of Canterbury are being advised to trust their instincts - do not wait for all symptoms to appear or for a rash to develop before seeking help.

## Article Content
Why is MenB vaccine not given to teenagers in UK and should they be offered it?
25 minutes ago
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Michelle Roberts
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Meningitis B, known as MenB, is the strain of bacteria behind the outbreak of meningitis cases in young people in Kent, experts have confirmed.
It is rarer but far more serious than viral meningitis and can lead to blood poisoning or sepsis, and affect the brain. Some cases are fatal.
There have been
two deaths
in Canterbury and more students are in hospital.
Babies are routinely offered a vaccine against MenB, and have been since 2015, but the UK's current generation of older teenagers and university students have not, since the shot was not available when they were born.
The UK decided against running a widespread catch-up campaign to vaccinate teenagers, but some parents have been buying the jab privately. Who is right?
Teenagers are currently offered another meningitis vaccine - the
MenACWY vaccine
- which protects against some other strains, but not MenB.
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Helen and Lee Draper's daughter, Meg, died last October from meningitis B while at university.
They say they would have paid the £220 to have her vaccinated privately "in a heartbeat".
They told BBC Breakfast News it was devastating to hear that more students were losing their lives to the illness.
Helen said: "Megan had called us on the Friday night to say she was feeling a bit lethargic and she didn't really want to go out that evening.
"That rang alarm bells with us because Megan always wanted to go out and socialise so that was the first point.
"She'd gone to bed, she'd woken up in the morning and she was nauseous and she had a rash on her stomach.
"She'd contacted me and then said I'm going back to sleep to try and sleep it off. She woke up at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the rash had spread, she felt worse, her arms and legs were aching and she just felt really unwell, so we advised her to contact 111 to seek medical help."
Lee said parents needed to be aware that the meningitis vaccination teenagers routinely get on the NHS doesn't cover them against all strains.
"That's where I think the communication's been really, really poor over the years," he told the BBC.
"We assumed that Megan had had a meningitis vaccination and to us, we sent her off to university thinking that. It was after we knew what strain she had, meningitis B, that she wasn't vaccinated against that and we had no idea that she didn't have protection against that."
Call for 'catch-up' MenB vaccination campaign
Given the severity of the situation in Kent, a small targeted vaccination programme will begin starting with students resident at Canterbury Campus Halls of Residence at the University of Kent in the coming days.
The vaccination programme may be expanded further as the UK Health Security Agency continues to asses any ongoing risk to other populations.
For now, it says the priority remains for those offered antibiotics to come forward as this is highly effective at preventing the disease and transmission.
The Health Secretary Wes Streeting has asked advisors to "re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines".
He told the Commons: "On the question of wider eligibility, we obviously follow the expert independent advice.
"In light of this latest outbreak, I will be asking them to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines.
"I will do so without prejudicing their decision because we have to follow the clinical advice on this."
Meningitis can affect anyone at any time.
The groups most at risk of becoming ill with MenB disease are babies and young children under five, followed by teenagers and young people aged 15 to 24.
Experts say the case for whether to vaccinate teenagers against Men B is complicated.
While the vaccine is great at protecting infants, it does not work so well in young people.
Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, an immunologist at Oxford University, told the BBC: "The B strain is more complicated because although we call it the B strain, it's actually a collection of a very large number of different strains, some of which are covered by the B vaccine and some aren't."
The MenB vaccine has been developed to offer protection against as many as possible, but it does not work against all.
Some people carry the various types of meningitis B bacteria harmlessly in their nose and throat. They don't get sick, but can spread it to others who may.
It is estimated around one in four teenagers and young people carry meningitis-causing bacteria in the back of their throats.
The MenB vaccine is not great at preventing that transmission, even if it is a good match for the strain carried.
And the vaccine does not protect for a particularly long time, which is why advisers to the government - the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- For now, it says the priority remains for those offered antibiotics to come forward as this is highly effective at preventing the disease and transmission.
- And the vaccine does not protect for a particularly long time, which is why advisers to the government - the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) -determined the MenB vaccine was not cost-effective for teens.
- Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of the immunisation and vaccine preventable diseases division at the UKHSA, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme the outbreak of meningitis had been "unusual" but she did not believe there was a current risk to anyone outside of the Kent region. "I think it's important to stress that the cases have all been linked to a particular geographical area, in the Kent area. "We have no evidence of any wider spread. "So it's really important to reassure people across the country that there's no evidence of wider spread at the current time but it's important, in terms of vaccination, to make sure that your children are fully up to date with the vaccines that are available, and to be alert to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease." Symptoms can develop suddenly and can include: A rash that doesn't fade when pressed with a glass Sudden onset of high fever Severe and worsening headache Stiff neck Vomiting and diarrhoea Joint and muscle pain Dislike of bright lights Very cold hands and feet Seizures Confusion/delirium Extreme sleepiness/difficulty waking Students in the affected area of Canterbury are being advised to trust their instincts - do not wait for all symptoms to appear or for a rash to develop before seeking help.

### Areas for Consideration
- The vaccination programme may be expanded further as the UK Health Security Agency continues to asses any ongoing risk to other populations.
- The groups most at risk of becoming ill with MenB disease are babies and young children under five, followed by teenagers and young people aged 15 to 24.
- Pollard said: "The problem with vaccination is it doesn't protect you immediately and it takes some time after vaccination for the immune response to kick in." He continued that therefore what was needed was to do what was being done in Kent which is give antibiotics to protect individuals including those who are healthy but have the strain in their throat to stop them transmitting it to other people.

### Implications
- Why is MenB vaccine not given to teenagers in UK and should they be offered it? 25 minutes ago Share Save Michelle Roberts Digital health editor Share Save Getty Images Meningitis B, known as MenB, is the strain of bacteria behind the outbreak of meningitis cases in young people in Kent, experts have confirmed.
- It is rarer but far more serious than viral meningitis and can lead to blood poisoning or sepsis, and affect the brain.
- It was after we knew what strain she had, meningitis B, that she wasn't vaccinated against that and we had no idea that she didn't have protection against that." Call for 'catch-up' MenB vaccination campaign Given the severity of the situation in Kent, a small targeted vaccination programme will begin starting with students resident at Canterbury Campus Halls of Residence at the University of Kent in the coming days.
- The vaccination programme may be expanded further as the UK Health Security Agency continues to asses any ongoing risk to other populations.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers meningitis, vaccine, menb topics. Notable strengths include discussion of meningitis. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1505.