Warning issued as bookings for meningitis vaccine surge across UK after Kent outbreak

Pharmacies are seeing a significant surge in private meningitis vaccine bookings.

This spike follows the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirming meningitis B cases in a Kent outbreak.

Superdrug have reported a 65-fold increase in demand compared to last week.

Health experts have warned of “unequal access” to protection based on the ability to pay.

A small vaccination programme will launch shortly for students at the University of Kent’s Canterbury Campus Halls of Residence.

The MenB jab was introduced for babies as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme in 2015.

But the majority of young people born before 2015 are not protected, unless they have had the jab privately.

A number of pharmacies offer the menB vaccine, including Superdrug, where it is available for children from the age of two months and adults aged up to 50.

A course of two to three doses is recommended, priced at £110 per dose.

A spokesperson for Superdrug told PA: “At Superdrug, bookings at our nurse clinics for our meningitis service this week have surged to 65 times the level seen last week.”

At Boots, the vaccination service is for adults and children aged two and over costing £220 for two doses.

At Well Pharmacy, the vaccine is available for children from the age of two months and adults aged up to 50.

The course includes two to three doses, depending on age, at £110 each.

Asda also launched a meningitis vaccine service last year, with a full menB course available for £179.76.

Appointment availability varies across the country as of 11.30am on March 17.

There were appointments available at Boots in major cities including London, but there are none currently available at the Boots store in Canterbury.

Superdrug health clinics across the South East also had appointments available.

On Tuesday, the UKHSA said there have been 15 cases of meningitis reported to it in Kent, up from 13 reported previously.

Four of these cases are confirmed to have menB.

UKHSA officials investigating the outbreak, which has left two young people dead and others in hospital, told PA it would confirm the strain in other cases when the full results are available.

Experts also said it “takes time for the immune response to kick in” after vaccination and stressed that getting antibiotics to those exposed should be a priority.

On Monday, hundreds of people who visited Club Chemistry in Canterbury on March 5, 6 or 7 were told to come forward for preventative antibiotic treatment as a “precautionary measure”.

Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, said: “The first question on vaccination is whether this B strain is covered by the vaccine as this isn’t always the case – this takes time for the UKHSA to work out in the laboratory and they are working round the clock on this.

“If it does match then B vaccines are great but it takes time for the immune response to kick in after the jab and so the absolute priority today is to ensure that those who have been exposed get antibiotics to stop them developing the disease or spreading the B germs to others.”

Dr Eliza Gil, clinical lecturer at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), added: “Some families choose to access vaccination privately as it is commercially available on the high street from chemists.

“This creates a situation where currently we have unequal access based on ability to pay.”

The charity Meningitis Now has called for teenagers and young people to be vaccinated against meningitis B on the NHS as part of its No Plan B for menB campaign.

It also says menB jabs should be available on the high street “at a fair price”.

On the NHS, the menB jab is recommended for babies aged eight weeks, followed by a second dose at 12 weeks and a booster at one year.

Other routine childhood jabs, including the 6-in-1 and pneumococcal vaccines, can protect against meningitis.

Elsewhere, the menACWY vaccine is a single dose jab that protects against four strains of meningococcal bacteria. It was also introduced in 2015.

It is offered to teenagers in school and is also available to those entering university, up to the age of 25.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) urged the NHS to commission pharmacies to provide a catch-up service for teenagers who missed their menACWY vaccine, and called for reforms to the childhood vaccination programme.

NPA chairman Olivier Picard said: “Some pharmacies are already seeing an uptick in patients contacting them to book menACWY and menB vaccinations and we anticipate this demand will continue to grow.”

Mr Picard also said there have been reports of pharmacies being unable to make new vaccine orders from wholesalers.

He said: “Many pharmacies across the country have reported to us that they have no supplies of meningitis vaccinations and cannot make new orders from wholesalers.

“Most pharmacies will have only stocked meningitis vaccinations for a handful of travel vaccination services a year and do not have supplies for the scale of demand linked to the recent outbreak and are prevented from making new orders.

“We understand many patients, including parents with older teenagers, will be concerned by this situation and will be keen to vaccinate themselves or their loved ones.

“However, pharmacies are having to manage constrained levels of supply.”