Freshers receive meningitis B jabs

Reading University students have been getting MenB vaccinations during Freshers' Week.

NHS England commissioned several community pharmacies to run on-campus free vaccination clinics.

Paddy Woodman, director of student services at the university, said: "We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to get the vaccinations that they were entitled to, and that they should have, and that would help everybody in the university."

A college student died and two people were treated after cases of meningitis in Reading in May.

In Kent, two deaths were recorded in the 21 cases among students and young people in the Canterbury area in March.

Woodman told the BBC that there had been "concern" among all staff during the outbreaks.

"Meningitis B has been around for a long time but it hasn't really had the profile that it had last year and that really heightens people's concern - there was a level of nervousness," she said.

The UK Health Security Agency said invasive meningococcal disease could be serious, with 26 deaths recorded among the 348 confirmed cases between July 2025 to June 2026.

Health officials added students in their first year of university faced a risk seven times higher than young people of a similar age who did not go to university.

Woodman said the clinic was timed to help students setting themselves up for the year ahead.

"We were delighted to be able to collaborate and I think we were particularly keen to be able to support our international students as well because they are just entering the country at the moment, and they've got a lot to get used to," she explained.

Hugo Templeton, an 18-year-old computer science student, said: "I came here today because a girl at my school - Burford School - got meningitis, and she's OK, but that caused a bit of a craze around the school and the area.

"Everyone started getting their jabs... so I wanted to get mine as soon as I could and because it's so accessible here I just thought this would be the best place to start."

Connor Dalton,18, studying physical geography, said: "I've just come here to make sure that I'm protected, and that my time at uni is safe, and I can enjoy myself."

He added: "It's a very scary thought to have to think about knowing that you can come to uni, pick up this disease, and potentially die from it... so getting the jab has just put me in a much safer place really."

Hawa Diallo, a first-year biomedical science student, said: "I actually found out about it because someone that I was sat next to told me... I decided on the spur of the moment to come along."

She added: "I just figured, you know, I'm in a new space with lots of people, it wouldn't hurt to have extra protection."