‘Ministers rejected calls to give more people MenB jabs – it is a disgrace’
Parents and campaigners have claimed the meningitis deaths in Kent could have been prevented — but ministers rejected calls to widen access to a vaccine protecting against the strain linked to the outbreak.
Khali Goodwin, whose daughter was rushed to hospital on Saturday, was shocked to find out her child had never been offered the Meningitis B (MenB) vaccine.
Four of the total 15 cases in Kent have been confirmed as Meningitis B, with a university student and a sixth-form pupil dying in the outbreak.
The MenB vaccine was only rolled out to babies in 2015, meaning thousands of teenagers and young adults are unprotected from the disease.
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Campaigners have unsuccessfully urged the government to expand the number of young people given the MenB jab on numerous occasions over the last decade.
A petition in 2016 calling for all children, not just babies, to be given the vaccine became the most-signed on the UK government website.
It highlighted the story of Faye Burdett, a two-year-old who died from meningitis, and rugby player Matt Dawson, whose son battled the condition.
The Conserative Party-run Department for Health and Social Care rejected the petition despite the enormous public pressure, saying at the time that their programme protected those most at risk and was in line with recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Another petition calling for all 16 to 23-year-olds to be given the MenB jab also racked up more than 40,000 signatures after it started in October 2024.
The charity Meningitis Now launched a new campaign outside Parliament just nine months ago, calling for the MenB vaccine to be offered to all those at risk, not just babies.
‘No Plan B for MenB’, backed by TV presenter Seema Jaswal, warned that the 15-24 age group were ‘at risk of catching MenB but thousands are unaware they are unvaccinated’.
Khali said she was ‘angry’ the government did not roll out the MenB vaccines more widely after these previous campaigns.
The mum, whose daughter Keeleigh, 21, fell severely ill with meningitis on Saturday, told Metro: ‘All of this could have been prevented and two people could still be alive.
‘It is a disgrace. The government didn’t care.’
Keeleigh’s health rapidly deteriorated on Saturday until she had a seizure that night and was rushed to hospital.
Khali said she was stunned to find out there was a MenB vaccine her daughter was never given.
‘I was completely oblivious,’ she said, ‘It is craziness.
‘If this is not a massive kick for someone to buck up and sort it out – I don’t know what is.’
Khali says her daughter, who suspects she could have caught the meningitis from a vape, is recovering and ‘should be fine’ soon.
Marrisa Mullans, who lost her son 18-year-old son Alfie to meningitis B in June 2023, launched her campaign to get the government to roll out the meningitis B vaccine.
She agreed with the claim that the deaths in Kent could have been prevented had the vaccine been rolled out.
Marissa told Metro: ‘The current outbreak should not be happening. The vaccine is there and available – it needs to be utilised.
‘The JCVI and the government need to get together and reconsider their stance on only giving it to those born after 2015.
‘We are going to see more lives lost. Young people deserve their futures.’
Alfie, from Prestwich in Greater Manchester, fell ill with meningitis after coming home from college with a headache.
His health deteriorated rapidly, and his heart stopped beating in hospital the next day.
Marrissa had no idea her son – who had been given all recommended childhood vaccines – had not been offered the MenB jab.
After his death, she set up a petition to offer the meningitis B vaccine to all 16 to 23 year olds, not just those born after September 2015.
The petition has received more than 43,000 signatures online.
The current MenB vaccine is only given to children when they are eight weeks, 12 weeks and one year old.
There are vaccinations for most other groups of meningococcal bacteria that can cause meningitis.
The only way for young adults to get the MenB jab in their arm now is to go private, such as high-street or supermarket pharmacies.
It is not cheap and can cost as much as £330 for the two-part treatment.
The Meningitis Research Foundation joined the growing concerns around the government’s handling of the Meningitis vaccination programme.
They told Metro they have been ‘making the case for better protection for teenagers and young adults since 2015’.
The company’s Head of Health Insights and Policy Brian Davies said ‘young adults should have fairer access to better protection against MenB for free on the NHS.’
He added: ‘It is not yet clear whether MenB vaccination would have prevented this outbreak in Kent but what is clear is that teenagers and young adults remain an at-risk group and most will not have received MenB vaccination through the routine NHS immunisation programme.’
Bacterial meningitis statistics from 2023 to 2024 show that 27 per cent of all MenB cases were seen in people aged 15-24 years old.
UKHSA data from 2024 to 2025 shows that there were 94 cases of meningitis B in the 15 to 24-year age bracket.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said a routine MenB booster for young people was not recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
DHSC added: ‘Our thoughts go to the family and friends of those who have lost a loved one to meningitis.
‘We continue to follow JCVI advice, which routinely reviews new evidence as it emerges.’
Health secretary Wes Streeting announced yesterday that students in university halls in Kent will be offered the meningitis B vaccine as part of a ‘targeted programme’ within the next few days.
He told MPs ‘This is an unprecedented outbreak. It is also a rapidly developing situation.
‘Given the severity of the situation, I can confirm to the House that we will begin a targeted vaccination programme for students living in halls of residence at the University of Kent in Canterbury, which will begin in the coming days.’
Professor Keith Neal of Nottingham University defended the decision from successive governments not to expand the rollout of MenB jabs.
The expert in epidemiology of infectious diseases told Metro that widening access was not cost-effective given the relatively small number of people who catch Meningitis B.
Prof Neal said: ‘With the cost of the vaccine and the cost of administering it, you are talking about an awful lot of money.
‘We have not got infinite money. The government has to think if it would be better spent elsewhere.’
He also stressed: ‘It is no guarantee that this strain affecting Kent is vaccine susceptible. The vaccine is not 100% effective.’
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