Meningitis: Vaccination
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his department has taken to roll-out the Men-B vaccination to vulnerable people.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
The risk of infection to the wider population remains low. This is because transmission of meningitis B (MenB) requires close and prolonged contact to spread. Examples of this include living in the same household and intimate contact such as kissing or sharing drinks or vapes. The bacteria are not as contagious as other infections such as measles and COVID-19.
Decisions on routine vaccination programmes are taken on the basis of independent scientific advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which is an expert scientific advisory committee that advises the Government on vaccination and immunisation matters.
In response to the outbreak of meningitis in Kent on 17 March, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced to the House of Commons, that he has asked JCVI to review its advice on eligibility for vaccination for MenB.
As ever, the Government will carefully consider their advice.
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