The Government is considering adding the meningitis B vaccine to the national childhood immunisation programme in England, following a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination could be available for infants at two months of age as early as this summer, depending on negotiations with the manufacturer of the vaccine, Novartis.

Around 3,200 people in the UK are affected by bacterial meningitis and septicaemia each year, with meningitis B responsible for more than half of those cases, according to Novartis. The infection is fatal in one in 10 cases, and can lead to serious complications, such as amputation, deafness, epilepsy and learning difficulties. NHS England is also working with health departments in the rest of the UK to introduce the MenB vaccine throughout the country.