In response to a serious meningitis B outbreak in Kent, nearly 12,000 individuals are being offered their second dose of the vaccine by the NHS. The outbreak resulted in two fatalities and affected 19 others, prompting authorities to provide two doses of the vaccine to university students and schoolchildren.
NHS Kent and Medway announced that appointments for the vaccine will be accessible at various locations, with further instructions on how to book to be shared on Monday, April 13. People will have the option to schedule their appointments online, with clinics anticipated to be set up in Ashford, Canterbury, and Faversham, as reported by the BBC.
Among those prioritized for vaccination are students residing in university halls and patrons of a local nightclub.
Additionally, individuals who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury between March 5 and March 15 are eligible for the MenB vaccine.
The coordinated effort to tackle the meningococcal outbreak involves NHS Kent and Medway, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and Kent County Council.
NHS Kent and Medway reported that a total of 11,747 vaccines have been administered.
The vaccine protects against the majority of meningococcal group B bacteria types found in the UK.
Four weeks after the first dose, a second has to be given, but this can be given later, according to the NHS.
The UKHSA declared a national incident after sixth form pupil, Juliette Kenny, 18, and a 21-year-old university student, who hasn’t been named, died after getting the disease.
Routine vaccination against MenB was introduced for babies and young children in 2015.
Those born before then were not protected, leading Health Secretary Wes Streeting to ask the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to consider immunising teenagers.
Mr Streeting had described the outbreak in Kent as “unprecedented” because of the number of people infected over a relatively short period of time.
