Meningitis B outbreak, declared a national incident by the UKHSA

There are many organisations providing information and combatting misinformation. For a more scientific explanations, please follow meningitis charities and organisations that are doing the work to educate the public.

One thing we have learnt from the organisation Meningitis Now was the general public was under the impression that they were vaccinated against Meningitis B (Men B), but instead it was Meningitis ACWY. The vaccine was introduced in 2015 but the limited rollout meant that a group of people have missed this vaccine and are not protected form Men B.

It was reported that the outbreak was due to a superspreader event at a university.

Bacterial meningitis and meningococcal disease are transmitted by aerosol, droplets, or direct contact with secretions from the upper respiratory tract. Transmission usually requires either frequent or prolonged close contact. - NICE Guidelines on Transmission of Meningitis (Accessed: 20th March 2026)

We are not only here to discuss the issues with the messaging around , we want to highlight the health inequities that accelerate outbreaks in diseases.

Free Covid jabs face the axe at cash-strapped pharmacies

• Pharmacies are at risk of closing as their government deal doesn’t go far enough.
• Pharmacies are having to decide if Covid and flu vaccines (often prioritised by vulnerable patients) are worth offering due to the cost
• 1 in 6 pharmacies currently their opening times on the weekends cut because it wasn’t cost effective

Our lives should not be an expense that should be cut!

We deserve access to free vaccines!
We deserve to not be sacrificed for cost effective measures!
We have a duty to each other!

Meningitis B vaccines can cost £100+ per vaccines and two doses are often recommended. Boots have declared there is a shortage currently due to the outbreak. It has been suggested we can get it cheaper at independent pharmacies but we need to find sources for this.

As I'm writing this blog, I'm started to get confused at the messaging around this myself. Read these two quotes:

The UKHSA declared a national incident on Sunday to help ensure supplies of antibiotics, BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle said.

As opposed to what Wes Streeting has said on BBC News.

We declare a national incident when we got a health emergency that’s putting critical stress and pressure on the health system. We declare a national incident to manage in that way. we make range of different choices about health service provision. Which might include for example; standing down elective treatment in order to focus on emergency response. That in no way applies here. 

I think I understand it? This is so that services can quickly get access to medicines and distribute it quickly - bureaucracy, I suppose.

Alas, the messaging has not been clear and it has caused a multitude of feelings across the country.

However, we know that the institutional focus is not health, its cost. We don't recommend ignoring all public health messaging but ensure you're doing the research, listening to experts in the field so you can remain vigilant for yourself and your community.

We are seeing messaging already from news pundits, underplaying the importance of a high quality masks as a means of protection against airborne infection and advising to not take too many precautions as it'll cause panic from the "Covid times".

This is not public health messaging.

What we are doing right now at the Vaccine Fund?

• We are in talks with other organisations to offer support via crowdfunding
• We have several masks to send to any members, especially in Kent

Be prepared and educated. We protect each other.