18/03/2026
Men B Vaccination: what you should know
There are several meningitis vaccines offered free on the NHS. No single vaccine protects against all strains, which is why awareness of symptoms remains important regardless of vaccination status.
MenB vaccine Offered to babies at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 1 year. Added to the NHS schedule in 2015 – if you were born before 1 May 2015, you will not have received this as part of the NHS programme. There is currently no NHS catch-up programme for MenB.
MenACWY vaccine Routinely offered to teenagers in school Years 9 and 10 (around age 14). Protects against strains A, C, W and Y, but not MenB. If you missed your adolescent dose, you can receive it free on the NHS up to your 25th birthday.
A note on vaccination queries We are aware that many patients are getting in touch about their vaccination status in response to this outbreak. At present, we have not received instruction from NHS England to undertake any additional catch-up vaccination programme in response to this specific outbreak. If you are under 25 and believe you have missed your routine MenACWY dose, please contact reception and we will check.