Should 17-18 year olds get a catch-up MenB vaccine before university?

[Strandlover]

Vaccination for meningitis B has been on the schedule for babies since 2015 - but those currently at university were born before this so won't have had this vaccination apart from if someone has organised and paid for them to have it privately. (Only on Mumsnet have I ever known that this is a thing)
Given the tragic turn of events in Uni of Kent this weekend, should all 17-18-year-olds be offered this vaccine as a catch up before they head off to university?
(NB Don't know if this vaccine would have prevented this particular outbreak but I still feel that it's not fair to this cohort of kids who go off unprotected from a disease that younger children are now routinely vaccinated against)

I meant got this done last year for my DC‘s at uni and just forgot all about it over the summer. I rang the doctor today and they said oh no, they don’t need one. They’ve already had it. I’ve checked into the schedule that they would’ve been on and they definitely would not have had the NB so there’s a lot of ignorance around this which is quite dangerous. I’ve just paid tonight to for them to go and have the vaccine as they come back from uni.

A lot of people are, understandably, confused as year 9 children are offered the MenACWY vaccine, so may assume that their children are fully covered.

Bexsero should not cost you £400! Currently £110 per dose at Boots and Superdrug, so £220 for the two-dose course.

Oh I thought it was £200 a dose. I was going to get DS done anyway. He has an offer holders day at Kent next week and they've emailed him to say the campus is open, but it's his 5th choice as he just put it down to fill a space on the form. Not sure if was worth the bother going even before this.

That’s shocking. I’d ring back and complain. So they don’t tell anyone else that!

I paid for it as my daughter was born a year too early and read lots of horror stories.

I didnt realise the immunity ran out so fast so ill have to pay again.

I wouldn’t for 5th choice

It was new in 2015. You will have been vaccinated against a different strain

I think it’s sickening that they’re not doing a catch up program for kids born after 2015.

I have four kids born after 2015 and couldn’t afford to pay privately to have them all done at the same time so I’d have to choose which one to vaccinate 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. There would be a substantial amount of time between the 1st being vaccinated and the 4th.

When you see the amount of money wasted by the government and the NHS, which could be used to vaccinate all of the kids born after 2015, it’s infuriating. But the powers that be are all okay, they can afford to pay for their children to be protected.

OK thanks, so DC 18 wouldn't have had it at all? Will need to try and sort that 🤔

Nope he was about 8 years too old :)

Do you mean before 2015?

Children born 2015 onwards got the jab.

Thank you for the reply.

Thanks for raising awareness about this vaccination. I had no idea, and will now plan this into our family expenses for our teens before they finish high school.

Yes, I think now is the time for the Government to vaccinate in schools for Men B. How they can use excuses about cost, as have previously is inexcusable.

I had mine privately vaccinated for Men B as she'd just missed out on the NHS schedule for babies. I believe that only gives protection for 18 months - 3 years so surely they need a further vaccine when they have their other vaccines in high school. Especially as now Men B is the most prevalent.

Is it the case that the men B vaccine only
lasts 5years. So those born after 2015 getting Men B vaccine as part of their routine schedule won't be protected by the time they get to uni years anyway. So do we need a new routine men B vaccine at age 15-16 for all?

Think this is just for the ACWY strain which is usually offered around the age of 14/15 yrs

It’s gradually emerging that it’s the Men B strain responsible for some of the Canterbury cases so far; this has only been available on the baby immunisation schedule since July 2015

Therefore those in their late teens will not have had it, unless their parents paid for it privately (over £200 for both doses)

We are in Kent and I asked DD2 (17) to see if her immunisations come up on her NHS record. She went on the app and there is nothing at all! Fucking hopeless. It only has recent consultations on there frim last year. She has had all her jabs at our village GP, through school or the local NHS Trust. I seem to recall this happened with DD2 as well until she asked them to update it when she went to university and registered with a different practice.

So in Kent young people won't even know what jabs you have had as they apparently don't keep your records up to date unless prompted.

I had never heard of the menB vaccine but my kids are in their 20s. Is it something we should all be getting?

She won’t have had the Men B vaccine if you haven’t paid for it privately.

Yes I absolutely think they should all be vaccinated as they start uni.

Should I get my dd 23 vaccinated who works in a nursery?

Strangley enough, I do know exactly what's involved in a vaccination session in school.

I also know exactly what's involved when children die. I woukd take the admin and logistics of the former every day of the week over and above the emotional impact of ever having to do the latter ever again.

It has been confirmed that it is MenB in the Kent outbreak.

This thread is about a vaccine not your chance to show how superior you are

Basically anyone aged 11 or older won't have had the Men B vaccine, unless paid for privately.

Just seen it is Men B that is the cause of this recent outbreak. So tragic.

I paid for my daughter to have it in December as shes at university. It was £220. £110 per dose in Boots