Offer teenagers a meningitis B vaccine on NHS, advisers tell UK government

A health worker administering a meningitis B vaccination to a student at the University of Kent after an outbreak in March. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

All teenagers across the UK should be offered a meningitis vaccine on the NHS following a series of fatal outbreaks, a government commitee has said.

The recommendation, made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), would mean that young people would be eligible for the menB vaccine at the age of 15, alongside catch-up programmes for those who otherwise would have missed out.