JCVI chair thanked affected families and meningitis charities for their input, underscoring the seriousness of invasive meningococcal disease.

The decision on implementation and funding rests with each UK nation, which will assess cost and delivery mechanics.

The JCVI has recommended offering the meningitis B vaccine on the NHS to teenagers around age 15, with a catch-up option for those who missed infant vaccination.

The JCVI would like to eventually implement a broader routine adolescent MenB programme, with the Department of Health weighing this for a future decision.

Stakeholders and families affected welcomed the move, viewing it as a significant step toward reducing fatalities and protecting more young people.

There is some cost-effectiveness uncertainty for those born before 21 April 2025 who did not receive MenB in infancy, but JCVI still strongly supports offering two doses to this group.

Any rollout would require government approval and would focus on ensuring no eligible individual is left unprotected during implementation.

DHSC will consider the JCVI recommendation and decide on next steps in due course.

Officials emphasize that two doses provide protection, with effectiveness lasting at least five years after vaccination.

A new MenB vaccination push follows a March Kent meningitis outbreak that claimed two teenage lives and aligns with ongoing vaccination efforts, including a summer programme offering two doses to about a million Year 13 pupils and under-25 students starting university this autumn.

JCVI chair Professor Wei Shen Lim stressed that two doses are needed for protection, spaced at least 28 days apart, with data indicating strong protection for at least five years.

Currently, about one million young people in England—17- to 18-year-olds and students under 25 heading to residential colleges or university—are covered by a one-off vaccination drive.