Free NHS Meningitis Japan is available for some teenagers – what you need to know

The MenB vaccine was added to the UK NHS childhood vaccination program for babies born on 1 July 2015. All babies are now delivered.

However, minors and adults over the age of 11 are not allowed in Japan.

This is because young children are more susceptible to invasive infections than other age groups and their bodies are less able to fight them off.

However, research shows that the MenB vaccine does not necessarily prevent the infection from spreading from person to person, targets all different types of B bacteria, and does not provide long-term protection.

UK vaccine experts have therefore concluded that it is not cost effective to give the MenB vaccine to all teenagers.

But they want everyone who is eligible to come forward and get the vaccine because it prevents serious disease.

Around 10,000 people in the Kent region will already receive jabs as part of the response to the outbreak in March.