ENGLAND will roll out the world’s first gonorrhoea vaccine campaign this summer.
The NHS said it will begin immunising against the sexually transmitted infection, also known as ‘the clap’, in August.
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Health chiefs reckon they can prevent around 10,000 cases per year with an existing meningitis vaccine.
Cases have tripled since 2012 and hit a record 85,000 in 2023.
Local sexual health clinics will offer the jab to gay and bisexual men, who are most at risk.
Patients will receive the 4CMenB vaccine for meningitis B, which has been found to nearly halve the chances of catching gonorrhoea in adults.
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The jab is already routinely given to babies to protect them from MenB, but its protection wears off as they grow up.
Vaccination could also head off growing concerns about superbug versions of the infection, which are resistant to antibiotics.
Dr Amanda Doyle, of NHS England, said: “The launch of a world-first routine vaccination for gonorrhoea is a huge step forward for sexual health.
“It will be crucial in helping to reduce the rising rates of antibiotic resistant strains of the bacteria.”
Gonorrhoea is a bacterial infection spread by unprotected sex.
Many people do not have any symptoms but if it is left untreated it can spread and lead to infertility.
It is the second most common STI in Britain by new cases per year, after chlamydia.
The vaccine rollout was approved by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) after research by Imperial College London suggested it could prevent 100,000 cases and save the NHS £8million over the next 10 years.
Dr Sema Mandal, from the UK Health Security Agency, said: “In 2023 we saw gonorrhoea diagnoses reach their highest since records began in 1918.
“Not only will this rollout protect those that need it most, but it will make the UK the first country in the world to offer this.
“STIs aren’t just an inconvenience – they can have a major impact on your health and that of your sexual partners.”
Public health minister Ashley Dalton added: “Once again our NHS is leading the way.”
WHO WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE JAB?
NHS England said clinics will target the highest risk people for its gonorrhoea vaccine campaign.
From August vaccines will be offered to:
- Gay or bisexual men who have recently had multiple sexual partners
- Gay or bisexual men who have recently been diagnosed with an STI
- Transgender women (male-to-female) or non-binary people who were born male
- Clinics may use their discretion to offer to sex workers or anyone who has recently had a bacterial STI
Data from 2023 show that 40,586 out of England’s total 85,223 gonorrhoea cases were among men who had sex with men, making them the highest risk group. A further 15,000 were among heterosexual men and 22,000 were among women.
