Meningitis B vaccine to be offered to a million young people

A million young people in England, Wales and Scotland will be offered a vaccine to help protect against meningitis B.

The one-off programme has been launched after concerns over the UK's largest and fastest growing meningitis B outbreak to date in Kent this year and two further "unusual" clusters in Weymouth in Dorset and Reading in Berkshire.

The two-dose vaccine will be available to pupils currently in their last year of secondary school and those aged 18 to 25 heading to university or residential further education for the first time this autumn.

Officials say the programme will help protect those at "highest immediate risk". Meningococcal disease can lead to life-threatening illness.

Aaron Mills from Kidderminster in Worcestershire was 18 years old when he died from meningitis in January 2026.

He had recently started as a student at John Moores University in Liverpool and was home for the Christmas holidays.

He had mild flu-like symptoms and on the 30 December he went back to bed with a headache.

Thirty minutes later his family heard screaming from his room.