Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the UK Health Security Agency has undertaken any recent analysis of the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease in age groups currently not eligible for NHS vaccination; and if he will publish that analysis.
The United Kingdom’s world‑leading vaccination programmes against invasive meningococcal disease have resulted in substantial declines in incidence across all age groups since the introduction of the first meningococcal group C (MenC) vaccine in 1999.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes continuous, real‑time surveillance of invasive meningococcal disease in England, covering all age groups, which includes those not currently eligible for NHS vaccination. Summary data are routinely published in the UKHSA Health Protection Report, with further analyses appearing in peer‑reviewed journals.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps all immunisation programmes under regular review. The most recent data for the 2023 to 2024 epidemiological year (July 2023 to June 2024) are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/meningococcal-disease-laboratory-confirmed-cases-in-england-2023-to-2024. Quarterly data for the first three quarters of the 2024 to 2025 epidemiological year are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/meningococcal-disease-laboratory-confirmed-cases-in-england-2024-to-2025.