Updated 20 March 2026
At this time there are no suspected or confirmed cases of meningitis in North Wales or elsewhere in Wales linked to the outbreak in Kent
Updated information about the outbreak in Kent is available from the UK Health Security Agency.
Meningitis B vaccination is not routinely offered to children aged over two years or adults through the NHS in Wales. Please do not contact your GP surgery, our vaccination centres or school immunisation teams to request the MenB vaccine.
We recommend that young people, parents and families familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of meningitis and sepsis.
These conditions can progress rapidly from mild symptoms to severe illness. Babies, young children, teenagers and young adults (especially those in close-contact settings like colleges and universities) are at higher risk.
Students who live on the University of Kent’s Canterbury Campus during term time but who have now returned home to North Wales can attend a GP surgery in North Wales to receive preventative antibiotics and MenB vaccination.
Other students in the Canterbury area who have been advised to take antibiotics due to close contact with the outbreak, and anyone who attended Club Chemistry in Canterbury between March 5 and March 16, may also attend a GP surgery in North Wales for antibiotics and vaccination.
Bacterial meningitis can be caused by a number of different types of bacteria. Several vaccinations in the routine vaccination schedule in Wales offer protection against different strains of meningitis.
For the best protection against preventable illness, it is vital that children and young people are fully vaccinated.
NHS vaccinations offered in Wales are based on recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the Welsh Government. Details of the routine NHS vaccination schedule in Wales are available here.
This page will be kept under review and will be updated as new information becomes available.