New uni students urged to get meningitis jab
ReutersNHS bosses are urging those celebrating A-level results to get their meningitis B vaccinations "sooner rather than later" as they prepare to start at university.
A one-off summer vaccination programme for young people began in June following a deadly outbreak among students in Kent earlier this year.
North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) said more than 4,450 free vaccines had been given in the region through participating community pharmacies.
Chief medical officer Dr Neil O'Brien said: "With two doses needed four weeks apart, we'd urge anyone who is eligible not to put it off. Get your first dose now so you can start university with the best possible protection"
It is available to Year 13 pupils in in England and Wales, Year 14 in Northern Ireland and S6 in Scotland, as well as those aged 18 to 25 heading to university or residential further education for the first time in the autumn.
The region is home to tens of thousands of students at universities including Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside, as well as the University of Cumbria.
People moving into university halls are at greater risk, the ICB said, as meningococcal bacteria can spread through sharing drinks or vapes and living in shared accommodation.
But O'Brien said the wider community "need not be too worried" as the infection moves through close contact.
"The risk to transmission out of that group of people is very low," he said.
North East and North Cumbria ICBNHS England estimated about one million young people across England were eligible for the vaccination.
Students who had previously received the MenACWY vaccine should still get the MenB jab if eligible, as the vaccines protect against different strains, the ICB said.
"If we can get this group of people vaccinated, it will just ensure that the meningitis B bug doesn't have a chance to circulate in the population," O'Brien said.
