Freshers urged to get MenC vaccine
19 Aug 2014
Meningococcal C (MenC) is the primary immunisation against meningitis, but can often wane once in puberty.
Public Health England (PHE) is urging all new university starters (freshers) to get a MenC booster injection before attending classes this September.
As the initial vaccine administered during infancy wanes, a booster for teenagers was added last year. Now, university freshers will also be eligible for vaccination.
“We are recommending university ’freshers’ get a booster before they begin university
PHE expert Shamez Ladhani
The vaccine is also vitally important for those students coming to study in the UK from abroad, PHE said.
“Meningococcal C disease is a rare but life-threatening infection that occurs mainly in children and young adults. Students starting university and mixing with lots of new people, some of whom may unknowingly carry the meningococcal bacteria, are at risk of infection,” said expert on meningococcal disease for PHE Shamez Ladhani.
“As the protection offered by the infant MenC vaccine wanes over time we are recommending university ’freshers’ get a booster before they begin university, even if they received it as a young child,” Ladhani said.
“The addition of the ’freshers’ MenC immunisation will contribute to the highly successful vaccination programme we have in the UK.”
According to Ladhani, the booster is available to any student entering university for the first time born after September 1995 and who received the MenC vaccine under the age of 10 years, or any student of any age entering or being at university who is unvaccinated against MenC disease.
“Anyone born before September 1995 and who received the MenC vaccination at secondary school won’t need another dose,” Ladhani said.
Today’s PHE announcement comes just hours after the University of Southampton announced it had developed two new vaccines to cut the spread of meningitis.
