Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced a one-off vaccination programme against Meningitis B (MenB) for adolescents. The programme will offer the MenB vaccine to 17- and 18-year-olds born between July 2, 2007 and July 1, 2008, and to anyone up to age 25 who will be attending higher education or a residential further education institution for the first time in autumn 2026.

The announcement follows a localised outbreak of MenB near London in March, which led to two confirmed deaths and a public health alert. Health officials linked initial cases to a nightclub in Canterbury, Kent, between March 5 and 7. The UK-wide response prompted similar vaccination programmes across the country.

Meningitis B is a bacterial infection that causes swelling of the protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord. It is most common in babies, young children, and to a lesser extent, teenagers and young adults. If not treated quickly, it can cause serious brain damage or death.

The Northern Ireland programme is part of a coordinated effort across the UK to protect young people in settings where the disease can spread easily, such as universities and colleges.

The Department of Health in Ireland has said its National Immunisation Advisory Committee is reviewing MenB vaccination for adolescents and young adults, with an evidence review planned for later this year. Currently, the MenB vaccine is only offered to infants in Ireland’s primary childhood immunisation programme, for those born on or after October 1, 2016.