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The Government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended aroutine meningitis B vaccination programme for teenagers in a move pharmacy bodies have welcomed as a “significant step forward”.

The JCVI made its recommendation yesterday (July 16) as contractors in England gear up to offer a pharmacy-only vaccination programme for young adults from Monday July 20.

The new recommendation states that a single dose of 4CMenB vaccine should be offered as routine to adolescents “around 15 years of age” who were eligible for the vaccine as infants.

The JCVI also said it “strongly supports” offering two vaccine doses to adolescents to those born on or after May 1, 2015 who did not receive the 4CMenB vaccine as infants, with the second dose to be given “at any interval above 4 weeks after the first dose, including intervals of one or more years, to allow for operational flexibility and co-administration with other routine adolescent vaccinations”.

Given high levels of anticipated demand and “possible constraints” around stock levels, the JCVI recommended that a two-dose schedule of either 4CMenB or MenB-fHbp as “appropriate for these additional programmes”. The two vaccines are not interchangeable from the first to the second dose, it emphasised. 

While offering catch-up jabs to adolescents was previously seen as not being cost-effective, new data on the level of protection a single dose of the 4CMenB vaccine offers against meningitis B and gonorrhoea to those who received the vaccine as infants prompted the JCVI to “meaningfully assess this position,” the health body said

Describing the announcement as a “significant step forward,” Independent Pharmacies Association chief executive Leyla Hannbeck said: "Recent outbreaks have shown just how important vaccination is in preventing serious illness and saving lives.

"The Government has a moral duty to ensure every young person has the opportunity to be protected from this devastating disease. 

"Whilst this news is welcome, it is vital that community pharmacies are at the heart of a rapid rollout for this expanded programme. They are trusted, accessible healthcare settings with a proven track record of delivering vaccination programmes quickly and effectively.

"In order to achieve the highest possible uptake and in turn protect as many young people as possible, pharmacies must play a key part in this rollout.”

Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association said: "There is clearly a gap in our national vaccination strategy and recent outbreaks have shown the awful impact this illness can have on those who contract it.

"Pharmacies are already set to deliver an historic vaccination campaign for people about to go to university and stand ready, willing and able to deliver MenB vaccines to eligible teenagers on the NHS at speed."