2 October 2026 · The Pharmacist
MenB vaccine uptake in Year 13 cohort reaches only 26.6%
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published its first interim report on meningitis B (MenB) vaccine coverage, warning that approximately three quarters of eligible young people in the Year 13 cohort remain unprotected against the disease. The data shows that despite community pharmacies delivering more than 212,000 doses of the MenB vaccine to this group, the overall uptake has reached just 26.6%.
The figures highlight the scale of the ongoing challenge facing health services in ensuring sufficient immunisation rates among older teenagers and school leavers. Although pharmacy providers have administered a significant volume of doses to date, the interim findings indicate that the clear majority of the eligible adolescent demographic has not yet completed the vaccination course.
UKHSA surveillance monitors these uptake levels to track protection against meningococcal disease across key age cohorts. The initial reporting demonstrates that despite strong pharmacy participation in delivering the vaccines, substantial shortfalls in coverage remain across the targeted school-age population.
For UK online pharmacies and digital healthcare brands, these figures suggest an operational need to maintain robust outreach, patient signposting, and clinical capacity to support adolescent vaccination programmes.