If you’re studying at university or college in the UK, it’s important to check you’re protected against certain types of meningitis.
MenACWY vaccine
This vaccine protects against 4 types of meningococcal bacteria (A, C, W and Y), which can spread more easily in shared living spaces like halls.
- You should have 1 dose if you haven’t had it before
- It is free on the NHS up to your 25th birthday
- Ideally get it at least 2 weeks before starting university, but you can still have it later
- You only need it once (if you had it aged 10 or over, you don’t need another dose)
👉 This applies to UK and international students under 25
If you have not had this, please send us an online consultation, and we can look to arrange this for you. See below for how to check if you have had it.
MenB vaccine
This protects against a different type of meningitis (group B).
- It is has been part of the baby vaccination programme since 2015
- It is not offered to students on the NHS
- People born before 1 May 2015 (so most current university students) were not included in the routine programme and therefore will have been unlikely to have received the vaccine
- It can be given privately if you want extra protection. We are unable to offer this service or advise where it can be found.
How to check your vaccine status
Which vaccinations you've had can be found on the NHS app.
In some cases, you may not have appropriate access credentials set up in your app. Please send us an online consultation, and we can look to arrange this for you.