Starting uni? What to know about having the free NHS meningitis B jab
High street pharmacies in England are offering free meningitis B vaccines to students under 25 heading to residential colleges or universities. The initiative follows a recent outbreak and aims to protect young people as they begin their studies.
Why it matters
Proactive vaccination programs are critical for public health in high-density environments like university campuses to prevent outbreaks of dangerous diseases.
Image source, Getty Images By Michelle Roberts Digital health editor Published 4 minutes ago High street pharmacies across England are now offering a free meningitis B vaccine for many young people.
It comes after concerns over the UK's largest and fastest growing outbreak that happened in Kent earlier this year.
So who needs the vaccine and what's in it?
The vaccine offers protection against a dangerous strain of meningitits called meningitis B (MenB) that caused the outbreak in Kent.
The vaccine does not contain any live bacteria and cannot cause meningitis.
It is common to get some swelling, redness or tenderness where you have the injection. You may also get a mild fever, nausea, headache or muscle aches but these symptoms should disappear after one or two days.
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