212,549 young people have had the first MenB dose. Three quarters have had none
What happened
On 1 October 2026, the UK Health Security Agency published the first uptake figures for the new MenB vaccination programme for school year 13. The headline: 212,549 young people have had their first dose. That sounds like a lot. It is 26.6% of those eligible. The eligible group is the year 13 cohort - 799,840 young people born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008. As of 20 September 2026, around 74% of them had not been vaccinated at all. The programme needs two doses, given at least 28 days apart. Uptake is uneven. Young women are at 31.5%, young men at 21.9%. By region, London is lowest at 21% and the South East highest at 31.6%. The widest gap is by deprivation: 11.8% in the most deprived areas against 45% in the least deprived. Uptake also varied by ethnic group. UKHSA is especially keen to reach university freshers. Its figures put the risk of meningococcal disease for first-year university students at around seven times higher than for their peers who do not go to university. Dr Sharif Ismail, a consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, had a blunt message: "Don't regret not getting vaccinated - book in for yours now." Caroline Temmink, NHS director of vaccination, said: "We want to reach more young people... come forward and get protected as soon as possible." Becca Heritage, a meningitis survivor quoted in the announcement, said: "Meningitis is so easily preventable now with a vaccine."
Why this matters
Meningococcal disease is rare. That is exactly what makes it dangerous. Because so few people get it, most of us have never seen it. It does not announce itself. In the early hours it can look like a bad hangover, flu, or the kind of rough night that is unremarkable in a hall of residence. Then it can move very fast - sometimes from feeling unwell to critically ill within hours. The bacteria that cause it live harmlessly in the nose and throat of a lot of healthy people. Carriage rates are highest in teenagers and young adults. Move thousands of 18-year-olds into shared kitchens and shared bathrooms in the same fortnight, and you have created ideal conditions for those bacteria to pass around. That is why the first-year university figure is seven times higher, and why the timing of this announcement, in the first week of term, is not an accident. The deprivation gap - 11.8% against 45% - deserves attention of its own. That is close to a fourfold difference in protection between the poorest and richest areas, for a vaccine that is free. Gaps that size are rarely about people not caring. They are usually about appointments being hard to get to, letters going to an old address, shift work, or simply nobody explaining why it matters.
What the evidence actually says
A few points worth being precise about. Two doses, not one. The 212,549 figure counts first doses. Coverage for a completed course will be lower again. A single dose is not the finished job, and the second dose needs to be at least 28 days after the first. This is not the same as the MenACWY vaccine. MenACWY is offered to teenagers in school year 9, at around 13 or 14, and protects against four other meningococcal groups. The MenB vaccine protects against group B. They are different vaccines, and having had one does not cover you for the other. If you missed MenACWY, the NHS lets you catch up until your 25th birthday. "Seven times higher" is a relative risk, not an absolute one. The underlying chance of catching meningococcal disease in any given year is still low. Seven times a small number is still a small number - but the consequences of being that number are severe, which is the whole argument for a free vaccine. No vaccine is a guarantee. MenB vaccines reduce the risk of disease caused by group B. They do not make you immune to every cause of meningitis or sepsis. Knowing the symptoms still matters, whether or not you are vaccinated.
Practical advice
If you are in the year 13 cohort, or you are a parent or grandparent of someone who is: 1. Book it. Contact your GP surgery and ask about the year 13 MenB vaccine. Many universities also run vaccination clinics in the first weeks of term - ask at the student health service. 2. Diary the second dose. The moment you have the first, put a reminder in your phone for four weeks later. Two doses is the course. One is half a job. 3. Learn the symptoms anyway. A fever, severe headache, a stiff neck, dislike of bright light, confusion or drowsiness, cold hands and feet, very fast breathing, severe muscle or joint pain, and a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it. The rash often comes late, or not at all - do not wait for it. 4. Trust the gut feeling. If someone is getting worse quickly, call 999 or go to A&E. Say the word "meningitis" so it is on the record. Nobody will mind if you are wrong. 5. Housemates, look out for each other. Someone who has gone to bed "with a bad head" and is hard to rouse a few hours later needs checking on, not leaving.
What to know
UKHSA figures published on 1 October 2026 show 212,549 young people in school year 13 have had a first MenB dose - 26.6% of the 799,840 eligible, with around 74% having had none as of 20 September 2026. Uptake varies widely: 31.5% among young women against 21.9% among young men; 21% in London against 31.6% in the South East; and 11.8% in the most deprived areas against 45% in the least deprived. The course is two doses at least 28 days apart. First-year university students face a risk of meningococcal disease around seven times higher than peers who do not go to university. MenB is a different vaccine from the MenACWY jab given in school year 9. Vaccination lowers the risk; it does not remove it. Learn the symptoms, and act fast if someone deteriorates. Sources: UK Health Security Agency, "Over 212,000 get the first MenB dose but almost 75% missing out", 1 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-212000-get-the-first-menb-dose-but-almost-75-missing-out ; NHS, "MenACWY vaccine", accessed 5 October 2026, https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/menacwy-vaccine/ This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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