Demand for routine teenage vaccinations has soared across England following a meningitis B outbreak in Kent that claimed the lives of two teenagers and hospitalised 18 others. School immunisation services and pharmacies report a significant uptick in requests for the MenACWY jab and the Td/IPV booster, which protects against diphtheria, polio, and tetanus.
In Greater Manchester, parental consents for school vaccinations have risen by 40% compared to an average week, according to NHS Greater Manchester. Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust administered routine jabs to 1,750 teenagers on 21 and 22 March alone, while Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust saw phone calls surge from a weekly average of 150 to over 780 between 16 and 18 March.
Experts attribute the increased uptake to heightened awareness following the outbreak. Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, described it as an “unintentional but encouraging consequence” that more families are checking their vaccine records. Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown of the Royal College of GPs noted that while the outbreak has been shocking, it is reassuring to see families taking up routine vaccinations.
Despite the surge, uptake remains below the recommended 95% target, with only 72% of Year 9 pupils vaccinated in the 2024-25 academic year. Professor Saul Faust of the University of Southampton commented that the outbreak serves as a stark reminder of the seriousness of vaccine-preventable diseases, which have been forgotten due to the success of immunisation programmes.
