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Vaccine update: issue 373, July 2026

Published 29 July 2026

Applies to England

JCVI publishes new recommendation to the government on adolescent MenB vaccination

On Thursday 16 July Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published its recommendation and additional considerations to the government on a routine MenB programme for adolescents. This will now be considered by the government to determine if any additional offer of MenB vaccine should be made. This follows the unprecedented outbreak of MenB disease in Kent this year, which led to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care requesting a review by JCVI regarding routine MenB vaccination in adolescents.

The availability of recent new evidence related to MenB vaccination, particularly on the effectiveness of an additional single dose of vaccine in adolescents who had received MenB vaccine in infancy was taken into account by the JCVI in the latest review (the 4CMenB vaccine is offered as part of the Childhood Vaccination Programme).

The JCVI recommends: A routine offer of MenB vaccine (the recommendation is for one dose of the 4CMenB vaccine) at around 15 years of age in those who were eligible for MenB vaccination in infancy (those born on or after 1 May 2015), also referred to as ‘primed adolescents’. The first cohort of individuals this recommendation would apply to would turn 15 years of age in 2030.

Additionally, JCVI strongly supports an offer of two doses of MenB vaccine for:

• adolescents born on or before 30 April 2015 (‘unprimed adolescents’) at around 15 years of age
• adolescents who would be either too young to be offered MenB vaccination as part of the one-off 2026 offer (announced 12 June 2026), or too old to be offered vaccination through the 15-year-old programmes outlined above (this would be a catch-up programme)

While the cost-effectiveness of these additional programmes is uncertain, an offer of vaccination to these groups is considered by JCVI to be highly important on the grounds of equity, providing a bridge from the current time to the start of a routine MenB programme for primed adolescents.

JCVI also considered updated evidence on:

• vaccine effectiveness and duration of protection against invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) following 2 doses of MenB vaccine
• current epidemiology of IMD and uncertainties with regard to future disease levels
• recent meningococcal outbreaks
• potential protection against gonococcal infection following 4CMenB vaccination
• cost-effectiveness analyses

Professor Wei Shen Lim KBE, Chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said:

Following the meningitis outbreaks in early 2026, a one-off programme for 2-doses of MenB vaccine is being offered to eligible young people this summer. We encourage everyone who is eligible to book an appointment online to receive the vaccine at a local pharmacy, in time for the second dose to be received before heading off to university or college. For protection, 2-doses of the MenB vaccine are necessary, at least 28 days apart.

Additionally, JCVI has now also provided the government with a recommendation and additional considerations for a future routine MenB adolescent vaccination programme for those aged around 15 years. DHSC will now consider this with a decision to be made in due course.

Invasive meningococcal disease is a rare but very serious illness, which can have a devastating impact on lives. JCVI has worked closely with meningitis charities and would like to thank all those who responded, including on behalf of loved ones who sadly died or had life-changing complications. Their lived experiences were carefully considered and our thoughts are with those who continue to be affected by this disease.

JCVI has kept MenB vaccination under review since recommending a programme for infants in 2014 (the programme was introduced in 2015). The infant MenB vaccine is highly effective, providing strong protection lasting for at least 5 years from vaccination. This latest recommendation from JCVI for a routine MenB programme for adolescents aims to provide additional protection to individuals over the time when they might be at next highest risk from this rare but serious disease.

For information on the Meningococcal B (MenB) time limited vaccination offer you can read last month’s June Vaccine update MenB special or visit the GOV.UK MenB collection.

Limited time offer MenB vaccination Eligibility

Meningococcal B (MenB) time limited vaccination offer: eligibility flow chart

A flow chart is available to view or download on .GOV.UK, this has been designed to aid health professionals and supporting staff in assessing eligibility of young people when they present for vaccination.

England

Booking:

• Vaccination and booking services – NHS
• MenB vaccination: eligible residential further education settings

Walk-in bookings:

• Find a pharmacy that offers walk-in MenB vaccinations for young people

Wales

To find out more about eligibility and how to make your booking:

• MenB vaccine for young people (Public Health Wales)
• MenB vaccination: list of eligible residential further education settings for older children and young adults

Scotland

Eligibility and booking:

• Vaccines for students (NHS inform)
• Meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine for young people (NHS inform)

Northern Ireland

The Public Health Agency (PHA) will also be updating content relating to Meningitis and student life (contains info for other adolescent vaccines) and they can be found on ni-direct and on the PHA website:

• Urgent MenB vaccination programme for adolescents and young people

Confirming eligibility for Higher Education or residential Further Education (HERFE) for those born on or after 21 July 2001

Young people should be encouraged to take acceptable evidence to their vaccination appointment confirming that they are due to attend Higher Education or residential Further Education for the first time in the academic year 2026 to 2027, as follows, either:

• an official email confirmation of their offer of a place at their chosen university or college from either the HE institution (usually a @ac.uk email address) or the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
• a letter (hard copy or email) confirming they have received an offer of a place for the 2026 to 2027 academic year at their chosen university or college
• or a screenshot of their offer of a place at their chosen university or college from the UCAS Hub.

The relevant evidence should include the name of the university or college that they are due to attend, the course code and/or title of the course of study, and confirmation of the offer of a place (either conditional or unconditional).

Eligible military personnel attending military further education settings (known as ‘basic training’) which are included in the programme should have evidence in the form of a hard copy or email official joining letter, or similar correspondence from the Armed Forces Careers Office. Some recruits may have a temporary or permanent Ministry of Defence (MOD) ID card.

Those working in clinical settings should, in addition, consult a list of residential further education settings from which students in England are eligible, to inform a decision as to whether or not to administer MenB vaccination. This list can be accessed from MenB vaccination: eligible residential further education settings on .GOV.UK.

Further details of eligibility in other nations in the UK can be found in Annexe B to the bipartite letter.

Measles webinar

On 17 June, the UKHSA and NHS worked with partners to deliver a webinar on preventing and responding to measles outbreaks in the community.

The recording is available via YouTube here:

• Preventing and Responding to Measles Outbreaks in the Community – Webinar 2 Recorded Video

The presentation slides can be accessed here:

• Preventing and Responding to Measles Outbreaks in the Community – Webinar 2 Presentation Slides

2026 to 2027 flu season

On 24 June 2026, UKHSA, NHS England and Department for Education, jointly hosted a free webinar with head teachers, to help school staff prepare for the autumn flu vaccination programme.

The recording is available via YouTube here:

• Webinar on preparing schools for the seasonal flu vaccine 2026/27

The presentation slides can be accessed via Google Drive here:

• Webinar on preparing schools for the seasonal flu vaccine 2026/27

Which flu vaccine poster 2026 to 2027

Information on the different types of flu vaccines available for children and young people for the 2026 to 2027 flu season.

This poster is for use by healthcare professionals who administer the flu vaccine.

The poster indicates which vaccine children and young people should get and who is eligible and is available to download.

Flu invitation template letter for at risk patients

Updated template letter ready for download.

Recent Publications

‘Why is my baby being offered and RSV immunisation?’ leaflet

Babies who were born very early or who have certain medical conditions are now recommended to receive clesrovimab or nirsevimab to give them extra protection over the time when they are most at risk of severe RSV infection.

This leaflet has been revised to include clesrovimab. You can order copies of this leaflet now using product code 1387447HEN001.

For more information you can read the RSV Chapter of the Green Book, view the RSV maternal slideset and the Information for healthcare practitioners for the RSV programme on the GOV.UK website.

Co-administration of vaccines

Older adults are now routinely offered several vaccines. Giving multiple vaccines at the same time can improve timely protection and vaccine coverage. Reducing the number of appointments or visits to patients has time-saving benefits for both providers and the public. But it is important to understand which vaccines can be given at the same time – and which should not be – so that individuals derive maximum benefit from each vaccine they receive.

A training slide set on co-administration of vaccines for older adults is available to download. This has recently been updated to reflect forthcoming changes to the immunisation programmes for which older adults are eligible.

The national flu immunisation programme for 2026 to 2027 slide set

The training slides for the 2026/2027 seasonal flu programme are now available to download.

Flu immunisation e-learning programme

This interactive flu immunisation e-learning programme, written by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and produced by Health Education England’s e-Learning for Healthcare (an external provider) was published on 23 July 2026.

It is available for anyone involved in delivering the flu immunisation programme.

Training for flu vaccinators should be undertaken in line with the recommendations made in the National Minimum Standards and Core Curriculum for Vaccination Training.

Timing of Influenza Season – updated

Updated 21 July 2026. More information on the GOV.UK website.

Influenza vaccines marketed in the UK for the 2026 to 2027 season

Information on all influenza vaccines that have been marketed in the UK for the 2026 to 2027 season are available on GOV.UK.

Flu Vaccination – Briefing for primary schools

Cross government updates (UKHSA, NHSE, DHSC, DfE).

Updated 4 June 2026 to bring the role of schools into focus in supporting school aged vaccinations and working with SAIS teams.

Paper copies of this briefing are available free to order from the Find Public Health Resources website using product code 218467MEN001.

Adolescent vaccination programme – Briefing for secondary schools

Cross government updates (UKHSA, NHSE, DHSC, DfE) Updated 4 June 2026 to bring the role of schools into focus in supporting school aged vaccinations and working with SAIS teams.

Paper copies of this briefing are available to order and download free of charge from Find Public Health Resources using product code: 218467NEN001.

Vaccine supply

##Routine vaccination programme ##Summer Bank Holiday deliveries for ImmForm customers

There will be no deliveries or order processing by Movianto UK on Monday 31 August 2026.

Check the table below for your revised order and delivery days. Additional guidance is included for offshore customers and those ordering COVID-19 vaccines.

What you need to do: Plan for the break in deliveries and place your orders in good time, especially for vaccination programmes with upcoming cohort changes, e.g. RSV older adult expansion to adults aged 65 to 74 years in certain clinical at risk groups from 1 September 2026.

Make sure you have enough fridge space for any extra vaccine stock you order before the holiday. Only 2 to 4 weeks of vaccine stock should be held locally.

Emergency or out‑of‑schedule deliveries will not be available if orders are not placed on time.

Delivery day	Order cut off date	Order cut off time	Notes
Monday 24/08/2026	Thursday 20/08/2026	11:55AM
Tuesday 25/08/2026	Friday 21/08/2026	11:55AM
Wednesday 26/08/2026	Monday 24/08/2026	11:55AM
Thursday 27/08/2026	Tuesday 25/08/2026	11:55AM
Friday 28/08/2026	Wednesday 26/08/2026	11:55AM
Weekend
Monday 31/08/2026	Summer Bank Holiday	Closed	No Deliveries or order processing
Tuesday 01/09/2026	Thursday 27/08/2026	11:55AM
Wednesday 02/09/2026	Friday 28/08/2026	11:55AM
Thursday 03/09/2026	Tuesday 01/09/2026	11:55AM
Friday 04/09/2026	Wednesday 02/09/2026	11:55AM
Weekend
Monday 07/09/2026	Thursday 03/09/2026	11:55AM

Deliveries after the Summer Bank holiday:

• The first hand‑to‑courier day is Tuesday 1 September
• The first final‑mile delivery day is Wednesday 2 September
• The order cut‑off for this delivery is Thursday 27 August

COVID-19 Vaccine

• Vaccine stored between 2°C and 8°C use the above schedule
• Frozen vaccines cannot be delivered on the day after a bank holiday

Supplies of vaccine for the time-limited adolescent meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination programme

Meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination using Bexsero® vaccine is now being offered to selected cohorts of adolescents. Details of country-specific programmes have been published online by each Devolved Administration.

Please note that vaccine for Community Pharmacy delivery in England is not supplied via ImmForm. Community Pharmacies in England can notify NHS England that they intend to provide the service, and order vaccines via NHS England’s Federated Data Platform (FDP). Details can be found in the NHS England – Community pharmacy Men B adolescent service specification.

Other vaccination providers who have been commissioned to deliver this programme can now order from UKHSA the ten-dose pack of Bexsero® vaccine. Delivery will be on their scheduled delivery day. ImmForm customers can use the deferred order function to place orders for future scheduled delivery dates.

To support future analysis of this programme, accurate data will be required on how many packs of Bexsero® vaccine have been supplied for administration in this programme. To help maintain data accuracy, customers should place orders for the Bexsero® product that is specific to the programme. ImmForm customers may see up to three different Bexsero® vaccine product lines (shown below) and should order accordingly.

Bexsero® vaccine supplied by UKHSA and NHS England is a ten-dose pack, containing ten pre-filled syringes of vaccine and one patient information leaflet (PIL). Each ten-dose pack of Bexsero® vaccine is supplied with a pad of ten additional PILs. The ten-dose pack of Bexsero® vaccine supplied by UKHSA and NHS England does not contain needles for administration. Guidance on the choice of needle size can be found here: Green Book Chapter 4 – Immunisation procedures.

Needles should be obtained locally.

Ordering controls will be in place to balance incoming supply with demand. These are not intended to restrict activity.

To minimise wastage due to fridge failures, please only order vaccine required for the next two to four weeks’ worth of booked appointments. Further guidance can be found here: Green Book Chapter 3 – Storage, distribution and disposal of vaccines.

ImmForm customers can contact helpdesk@immform.org.uk for ordering queries. Non-ImmForm customers should refer to their local ordering guidance.

Details about Meningococcal B (Men B) vaccination can be found in Green Book Chapter 22 – Meningococcal.

Further details about Bexsero® vaccine can be found here: Bexsero Meningococcal Group B vaccine for injection in pre-filled syringe – Summary of Product Characteristics

Batch numbers

Some packs of vaccine supplied by UKHSA contain more than one component, e.g. vaccine, diluent, etc. Each of these components may have the same, or different batch numbers and expiry dates. Where those details are different, it is the batch number and expiry date on the outside of the pack that should be used for date checking and recording in patient records.

As an example:

The vial of vaccine powder has an expiry of 11/2027 and the batch number is A31FA032A.

The diluent has an expiry of 10/2027 and the batch number is A31DA032A.

The expiry date printed on the outside of the pack is 10/2027 and the batch number is A31CA032A. This batch number and expiry date should be used for date checking and recording in patient records.

Please note that for traceability purposes, vaccine components should not be mixed between packs.

Vaccines for the 2026/27 children’s flu programme supplied by UKHSA

Timing of the live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) availability for the 2026/27 children’s flu programme Flu vaccines are ‘just in time’ products that are brought to market each year under very pressurised timelines and in very large volumes, following the WHO strain selection announcement in late February each year.

Vaccines are biological products and manufacture can sometimes be unpredictable. There are multiple vaccine ‘platforms’ (e.g. egg-based and cell-based), and vaccine production systems differ across these platforms which can impact on timelines for individual products. LAIV is an egg-based vaccine and additionally a ‘live’ vaccine, which adds further complexity and risk to the manufacturing process. This must be taken into account when managing expectations around LAIV availability each year.

Feedback has suggested that confirming dates for LAIV availability in late summer (once vaccine production has reached specific milestones) can create operational challenge. UKHSA and NHS England have therefore been working together to explore how we can improve communication of LAIV availability, with a view to enabling providers to plan their programmes more effectively.

For 2026/27, it has been agreed that UKHSA will share anticipated dates for LAIV availability for general practice and the school age immunisation service earlier than usual, and these are set out below.

However, please note that these dates remain subject to change, and planning for vaccination sessions should continue to take account of this. The latest and most accurate information on all vaccines for the 2026/27 children’s flu programme supplied by UKHSA will be provided on the ImmForm news page, so please check back regularly. Vaccines and availability

All flu vaccines supplied to general practice (GPs) and the school age immunisation service (SAIS) in England for the 2026/27 children’s flu programme will be available to order via ImmForm. The 2 vaccines that will be available, preliminary indicative ordering dates and the groups that these vaccines should be ordered for are set out in the table below. Community pharmacies who are delivering flu vaccinations to children can access Fluenz® (LAIV) via the Federated Data Platform managed by NHS England. For more information please see the amendment to the annual flu letter and the service specification.

UKHSA does not supply any flu vaccines for patients aged 18 years and over.

Please refer to guidance from your respective health departments for arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Vaccine	Manufacturer	Available to order for	Anticipated order opening for providers	Anticipated first deliveries
Fluenz® (LAIV)	AstraZeneca	All children from 2 years of age to school year 11 Children in clinical risk groups aged 2 to <18 years*	week beginning 31 August 2026	week beginning 7 September 2026
Cell Based Trivalent Influenza Vaccine (Surface Antigen, Inactivated) (IIVc)	Seqirus	Children in clinical risk groups aged 6 months to <2 years Children aged from 2 to <18 years old in clinical risk groups for whom LAIV is clinically contraindicated or otherwise unsuitable Healthy children from 2 years old to those in school year 11, for whom LAIV is unsuitable**	week beginning 31 August 2026	week beginning 7 September 2026

*unless LAIV clinically contraindicated or otherwise unsuitable ** for example, due to objection to LAIV on the grounds of its porcine gelatine content

Editing Fluenz® (LAIV) orders Due to the anticipated large volume of orders for Fluenz® in the first few weeks of ordering, orders for this product will be assembled as soon as they are placed and will not be editable. If you need to make an adjustment to your order after it has been placed, you will need to contact helpdesk@immform.org.uk for assistance.

LAIV ordering information for General Practice

Ordering controls will be in place for general practices, to enable UKHSA to balance supply with demand. These controls will work by allocating an amount of LAIV based on the number of registered eligible patients and will be tailored to each practice.

UKHSA expects to be able to accommodate the following, however at this time, this information remains subject to change: * Each GP practice will initially be allocated sufficient LAIV to vaccinate at least 45% of their eligible patients (all 2 and 3 year-olds, plus children in clinical risk groups from age 4 to <18 years) when ordering commences. * Increases to these allocations will be made in response to demand and vaccine availability. * Requests for extra vaccine will be considered on a case-by-case basis throughout the ordering period. Requests for additional vaccine should be sent to the helpdesk (helpdesk@immform.org.uk) and should be sent in good time before your order cut-off. * Out of schedule deliveries will be by exception only.

Multi-Branch Practices and LAIV allocations

GP practices or groups that operate over multiple sites but are part of the same organisation will have a joint allocation (as in previous years), even where each site has a unique ImmForm account. This means that it is possible for one site to potentially order all of the available vaccine for the group, unless there is local agreement on how the allocated volume is shared. UKHSA recommend that this agreement is in place before ordering opens to reduce the risk of supply interruption. The information above allows practices to estimate the amount of vaccine they will be initially allocated, and how it should be split between all sites.

LAIV ordering information for SAIS providers

Please note the default weekly ordering cap for SAIS teams has been reduced from 450 packs (4,500 doses), to 432 packs (4,320 doses). This adjustment has been made to increase efficiency, allowing for fewer deliveries in fewer vehicles, and a reduction in our carbon footprint.

Where the default cap is insufficient and a provider needs a larger weekly volume of vaccine to deliver the programme (for example where a provider covers a large area using a single account), a higher weekly cap should be requested via the UKHSA Flu Vaccine Operations team by emailing childfluvaccine@ukhsa.gov.uk, please provide your ImmForm account number or Org Code and the increased volume required. Requests should be made by Friday 21 August to ensure that accounts are set up correctly before vaccine ordering commences.

For one-off larger orders during the ordering period, requests should be made via helpdesk@immform.org.uk.

Inactivated flu vaccine ordering

The Cell Based Trivalent Influenza Vaccine (Surface Antigen, Inactivated) (IIVc) will be available to order, in a single dose pack. Order controls will also be in place for this vaccine as follows: * For GPs, there will be an initial cap of 10 doses/packs per week * For school-age providers, there will be a cap of 450 doses/packs per week

Influenza vaccines for the 2026/27 season

Information on all influenza vaccines that will be marketed in the UK for the 2026/27 season are available on GOV.UK.

Promotional materials

Promotional resources including posters, leaflets and stickers to support the 2026/27 children’s flu vaccination programme are available on .GOV.UK.

Non-routine vaccine supply

Hepatitis A vaccine

Adult

• GSK: supply of Havrix Adult PFS singles and packs of 10 are currently available
• Sanofi Pasteur: Avaxim PFS singles are currently available. Avaxim packs of 10 are currently available
• MSD: VAQTA Adult is available

Paediatric

• GSK: supply of Havrix Paediatric singles and packs of 10 are currently available
• MSD: VAQTA Paediatric is available
• Sanofi Pasteur: Avaxim Junior singles are currently available

Hepatitis B vaccine

Adult

• GSK: Engerix B PFS singles and packs of 10 are currently available
• GSK: Supply of Fendrix is currently available
• MSD: HBVAXPRO 10 µg is available
• MSD: HBVAXPRO 40 µg is available
• Valneva: PreHevbri is no longer marketed in the UK

Paediatric

• GSK: Supplies of Engerix B Paediatric singles are currently available
• MSD: HBVAXPRO 5µg is available

Combined hepatitis A and B vaccine

• GSK: Twinrix Adult singles and packs of 10 are available
• GSK: Twinrix Paediatric is currently available
• GSK: Ambirix is available

Combined hepatitis A and typhoid vaccine

• Sanofi Pasteur: Viatim is now a discontinued product and no longer available for sale

Typhoid vaccine

• Sanofi Pasteur: Typhim singles and packs of 10 are available
• Bavarian Nordic: Vivotif is available

Rabies vaccine

• Bavarian Nordic: Rabipur is currently available
• Sanofi Pasteur: Verorab is available to order with some restrictions

Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV)

• MSD: Private supply of Pneumovax 23 (PPV23) PFS discontinued November 2025

Pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (PCV)

• Pfizer: Prevenar 13 is currently available
• Pfizer: Prevenar 20 is currently available
• MSD: Vaxneuvance is currently available
• MSD: Capvaxive®▼ is currently available

Varicella zoster vaccine

• GSK: VARILRIX is currently out of stock with resupply date TBC
• MSD: VARIVAX is available
• MSD: ZOSTAVAX is a discontinued product

Diphtheria, tetanus and poliomyelitis (inactivated) vaccine

• Sanofi Pasteur: Revaxis is available

Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (acellular) and poliomyelitis (inactivated) vaccine

• GSK: Supply of Boostrix-IPV is currently available
• Sanofi Pasteur: Repevax is currently available

MMR

• MSD: MMR Vaxpro is currently available
• GSK: Priorix is currently available

Meningitis ACWY vaccine

• GSK: Menveo is currently available
• Pfizer: Nimenrix is currently available
• Sanofi Pasteur: MenQuadfi is available  

Yellow fever

• Sanofi Pasteur: Stamaril is available to order without restrictions

Human papillomavirus vaccine

• MSD: Gardasil 9 is currently available
• GSK: Cervarix has been discontinued

Cholera vaccine

• Valneva: Dukoral is available
• Bavarian Nordic: Vaxchora is available

Japanese encephalitis vaccine

• Valneva: Ixiaro is currently out of stock

Meningococcal group B vaccine

• GSK: Supply of Bexsero is available

Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib vaccine and poliomyelitis

• GSK: Infanrix IPV+Hib is currently available

Live attenuated rotavirus vaccine

• GSK: Rotarix is currently available

Herpes zoster vaccine

• GSK: Supply of Shingrix is currently available

Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis

• Sanofi Pasteur: Adacel is currently available

Dengue tetravalent vaccine

• Takeda: Qdenga is currently available

Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine

• Pfizer: Abrysvo is currently available
• GSK: Arevxy is currently available

Chikungunya vaccine

• Valneva: IXCHIQ®▼ is out of stock
• Bavarian Nordic: Vimkunya®▼ is available

Clesrovimab

• MSD: Enflonsia▼ is currently available