Pharmacies sound alarm over meningitis jab SHORTAGE – as nationwide NHS rollout for 1 million youngsters starts today

YOUNGSTERS heading to university have been urged to get a free meningitis vaccine on the NHS, following a deadly outbreak of the illness that killed two teenagers this year. But pharmacies may not have enough jabs in stock to meet demand, industry leaders have warned – with many not receiving them in time for programme kickoff. Student getting meningitis vaccines in March, amid the outbreak in Kent that left two dead Credit: Gary Stone Just a third of independent pharmacies in England had sufficient stock to dish out jabs today, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) told The Sun. Another 27.7 per cent have been able to start giving youngsters vaccines, but had to postpone or reschedule appointments later in the week due to delays in supplies arriving. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! And 31.1 per cent are not running any appointments this week due stock not being delivered on time. Up to one million young people are expected to be eligible for the one-off NHS vaccination campaign, launched today. Sixth formers and students under the age of 25 going university or college for the first time were invited to book slots for the MenB vaccine in pharmacies. It’s the first time the potentially lifesaving jab, routinely dished out to babies, will be given to young adults. Young people are being offered their first dose from July 20 with a second dose given in August. Two doses, at least 28 days apart, are needed for full protection. More than 8,000 pharmacies signed up to help with rollout. However, some may struggle to meet demand. Most read in Health Appearing on BBC Breakfast this morning with Sally Nugent, pharmacy owner and NPA board member Ashley Cohen said issues with vaccine delivery are down to there being “not enough vaccine [stock] in the right place”. But he explained there were enough vaccines in the country to deliver the programme. “The one issue that we have to understand is we have been working at pace to produce a program that launches today,” he said, adding that that the catchup programme had been put together in “weeks”. “It will take another couple of weeks, to get the volume vaccines in the pharmacies at the right time,” Ashley added. “It’s being nationally procured, so pharmacists aren’t ordering this themselves. “The government are sending this to pharmacies once a week. “I am aware that some pharmacies are contacting patients to say ‘You’ve got an appointment today, we haven’t got the volume in. Can you come back later on in the week?’ “So bear with those pharmacy teams, but if you do get a phone call, just be tolerant. Be patient. Young people will be able to get catchup meningitis vaccines from today Credit: Gary Stone Are YOU eligible for the NHS MenB vaccine? Around one million people who are at “highest risk” of meningitis B are to be offered a vaccine. What is meningitis B? There are multiple strains of meningococcal bacteria – MenA, MenB, MenC, MenW, MenX, MenY. MenB is a serious bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitis group B. In 2015 a vaccination campaign was launched to protect babies against MenB. Why is a vaccination programme being rolled out? Earlier this year, there was a large outbreak of menB linked to a nightclub in Canterbury, Kent. Two further clusters of cases were also identified in the Weymouth area of Dorset and in Reading. Health officials have said that as a result of these cases action is being taken “to protect those who are at highest risk immediately”. All of the outbreaks were caused by different strains of MenB, UK Health Security Agency experts said. Who is at highest risk? Health officials said that the peak age of “risk” is 18. “18 is exactly when their risk goes up, and there’s multiple reasons for that,” said Dr Shamez Ladhani, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA. “One is social behaviours – they’re allowed to go into pubs, clubs, drinking, smoking, intimacy. “And then when they go to university, you get all these students from across the country, all meeting in different parts of the country, and then they’re being exposed to new people, and therefore the risk of being exposed to the bug goes up.” Who is eligible for the new one-off jab programme? Young people born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008 and completing Year 13 in summer 2026 are eligible. People under 25 starting university for the first time this autumn are also eligible. Around one million people are going to be eligible, the UK Health Security Agency said. Who will not be getting the vaccine? The Department of Health and Social care said a number of groups will not be eligible, including: Students going into their second, third or later year of university Postgraduate students starting a masters or PhD People aged 25 or over starting university Someone who already started university previously and is returning after a break People who finished Year 13 before summer 2026 and are not entering university or residential further education for the first time this autumn Where can I get the vaccine and when? Young people will be offered their first dose from July 20 with a second dose given in August. Two doses, at least four weeks apart, are needed for full protection. Pupils in Year 13 will be contacted via the NHS app, text or letter to come forward for the jab while others under 25 will book their appointment directly with pharmacies. Which vaccine is being used? The vaccination programme will use the GSK Bexsero vaccine, which offers six to seven years of protection against MenB, health officials said. “We have a million people to vaccinate, and as pharmacies stepped up during the Covid times, we are able to do this at scale and at speed. “ His words were echoed by Olivier Picard, Chair of the NPA, who told The Sun: “This is a new service so people should bear with pharmacies who will do all they can to ensure stock is available for appointments. “We hope these are temporary teething issues and that NHS England acts promptly to ensure pharmacies have access to the supplies they need to make sure this scheme is a success.” Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) said: “It is fantastic that the first young people from the ‘missing generation’ are about to get the vital protection they deserve from the MenB jabs at their local pharmacy.” But she added: “We are also hearing worrying reports from our member pharmacies across England that they are struggling to get enough stock of the vaccine to keep up with the demand unleashed.“It is deeply concerning that many pharmacies will not be able to start delivering life-saving MenB vaccinations due to stock not being delivered on time.” She called on NHS England to take “rapid action to guarantee pharmacies have enough doses to meet demand”. “The IPA wrote this week to NHS England outlining our concerns. So far we haven’t received satisfactory answers,” Dr Hannbeck claimed. A NHS spokesperson told The Sun there was “plenty” of MenB vaccine stock and it was working closely with pharmacies to ensure stock reached them. “This programme has seen an incredible response, with more than 8,000 high-street pharmacies signing up in just four weeks to help us deliver this life-saving vaccine for young people – and the NHS has plenty of stock available and is working closely with pharmacies to roll this out quickly,” they said. “There are tens of thousands of vaccine appointments available every day, so we’d encourage all eligible young people to come forward and book now to protect themselves, particularly for anyone starting university in September.” A DHSC spokesperson said: “The government has sufficient vaccines to support this national programme. “We encourage all year 13 pupils and people under 25 starting university or some residential further education for the first time to come forward and receive their two doses in good time.” The catch-up vaccine programme is separate from a recommendation made last week by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which called for all teenagers to get a MenB vaccine at 15. It comes after a series of major meningitis outbreaks this year, the most serious in Kent in March. It led to the death of a student at the university in Canterbury and Juliette Kenny, a year 13 pupil from Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham. In May, one student at Henley College in Oxfordshire died and two others were treated for meningitis after a separate outbreak. All of the outbreaks were caused by different strains of MenB, UK Health Security Agency experts said. Meningitis infection can cause serious, life-threatening problems, including inflammation of brain lining and sepsis. This can lead to amputations, hearing loss and brain damage, and in some cases can prove fatal. Students in their first year of university are seven times more likely to get meningitis than peers their same age who do not go to university, as social mixing at halls of residence and parties can increase the risk of exposure. They are the most at-risk group following babies – the only group given a MenB vaccine, since 2015. It means anyone born before 2015 is unlikely to have protection against MenB. Comment now