Vital second meningitis vaccinations available to young people in south Dorset

Young people in the Weymouth, Portland and Chickerell areas of Dorset can take up their second vaccination for Meningitis B next month.   Dorset HealthCare is rolling out the programme to more than 6,500 eligible young people after three people locally contracted the disease earlier this year. All three have made a full recovery.   The Trust, Dorset Council and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are urging local pupils in school years 7 to 13 to attend a clinic from 1 June for their vital second vaccination to give protection against Meningitis B.

Young people in the Weymouth, Portland and Chickerell areas of Dorset can take up their second vaccination for Meningitis B next month.

Dorset HealthCare is rolling out the programme to more than 6,500 eligible young people after three people locally contracted the disease earlier this year. All three have made a full recovery.

The Trust, Dorset Council and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are urging local pupils in school years 7 to 13 to attend a clinic from 1 June for their vital second vaccination to give protection against Meningitis B.

Following the infections in Weymouth in April, hundreds of staff from Dorset HealthCare, Dorset Council and other local organisations stood up a rapid vaccination programme, running clinics at schools across the Weymouth/Portland/Chickerell area.

Just under 76% of the young people eligible have received the first dose of the vaccine, but a second dose is required to give full protection.

And from Monday, 1 June, clinics will again be running at All Saints, Wey Valley, Atlantic and Budmouth academies, including evening and Saturday sessions for anyone else in the target age group who lives in Weymouth but doesn’t attend one of these settings, who goes to schools elsewhere or isn’t in full time education.

Reminder letters have gone out to parents and young people via the schools, and you can also find the full list of clinics here: www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/news/second-vaccinations-for-meningitis-b-in-chickerell-weymouth-and-portland.

Young people are eligible for the vaccine if:

• they are a resident in Weymouth or Portland or Chickerell and in current school years 7 to 13 (or equivalent), or anyone not in full time education who would be in one of these year groups, or
• they attend an educational setting in the Weymouth, Portland or Chickerell area and are in current school years 7 to 13 (or equivalent).

They should attend the clinic in their own school if possible but if they missed this, did not have an in-school clinic, are not in school or go to school out of area, they can attend any evening clinic at All Saints Academy or one of the Saturday clinics at Budmouth Academy, bringing their letter and proof of ID. Young people aged under 16 will need to be accompanied by a parent or carer.

If you are eligible and missed the first vaccination, you can have this at one of the upcoming clinics – just let the team know this is your first dose.

Currently there is no evidence of spread of MenB outside of the Weymouth area. The risk to other children living in Dorset is very low. Because of this, children and young people in schools, further education colleges and early years settings outside of the Weymouth area do not need to access the vaccine.