NHS begins rollout of world-first gonorrhoea vaccine programme

• Vaccination against gonorrhoea now available in sexual health clinics in England for those at greatest risk of infection
• Vaccine will protect thousands of people and save the NHS over £7.9 million over next decade
• Rollout is part of shift from sickness to prevention under government's Plan for Change

People at highest risk of infection with gonorrhoea will now be better protected from the disease, as the NHS and local authorities begin the rollout of a world-first vaccination programme in England.

From Monday 4th August, sexual health clinics will be able to offer a free vaccine to patients at highest risk of the sexually transmitted infection (STI), including gay and bisexual men who have a recent history of multiple sexual partners and a bacterial STI in the previous 12 months.

The 4CMenB vaccine will help shield those most at risk of gonorrhoea — potentially averting up to 100,000 cases of the disease, while easing pressure on vital NHS services.

It will play a key role in the government's shift from sickness to prevention as it makes the NHS fit for the future as part of its Plan for Change.  

Minister for Public Health and Prevention Ashley Dalton said:

Rolling out this world-leading gonorrhoea vaccination programme in sexual health clinics in England represents a major breakthrough in preventing an infection that has reached record levels.

This government's world-first vaccination programme will help turn the tide on infections, as well as tackling head-on the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.

I strongly encourage anyone who is eligible to come forward for vaccination, to protect not only yourselves but also your sexual partners.

The groundbreaking vaccination programme comes at a critical time, with diagnoses of gonorrhoea reaching their highest levels since records began. In 2023, a record 85,000 cases of the disease were reported in England — three times higher than in 2012.

This vaccine will protect thousands of people and save the NHS more than £7.9 million over the next decade. It will also help combat increasing levels of antibiotic-resistant strains of the disease.  

The rollout is part of this government's commitment to keep people healthier via an array of prevention and community health initiatives. This includes the Department of Health and Social Care's National HIV Prevention Programme delivered by the Terrence Higgins Trust, which has worked with local activation partners to deliver National HIV Testing Week and the summer campaign for the past 4 years.

The Department's National HIV Prevention Programme, funded at £1.5m a year and delivered by the Terrence Higgins Trust, has worked with several local activation partners to deliver National HIV Testing Week and the summer campaign for the past 4 years.

More widely, as part of the 10 Year Health Plan, we are helping reduce demand for hospital services by increasing uptake of other vaccines, including the world-leading respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, which protects infants and older adults against this potentially deadly disease.

Consultant Epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, Dr Sema Mandal said:

This roll out is hugely welcome as we're currently seeing very concerning numbers of gonorrhoea, including even more worryingly antibiotic resistant gonorrhoea. The vaccine will give much needed protection to those that need it most - making the UK a world leader in the fight against gonorrhoea.

And it's excellent to see that at the same time other important vaccines will continue to be offered in sexual health services to those eligible, protecting against mpox, hepatitis A and B, and HPV. Sexually transmitted infections aren't just an inconvenience – they can have a major impact on your health and your sexual partners, so if offered I strongly urge you to get these jabs, you'll be protecting yourself as well as others. Don't put it off and regret it later.

Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS national director for primary care and community services, said:

The roll out of the NHS' world-first routine vaccination for gonorrhoea from this month is a real step-forward for sexual health and I know health service staff, alongside local authority colleagues, have been working hard to hit the ground running.

This vaccine is already used to protect against Men B and is proven to be effective against gonorrhoea, preventing the spread of infection and reducing the rising rates of antibiotic-resistant strains.

That is why it is so important that everyone eligible takes up the offer through sexual health services alongside existing jabs for mpox, Hep A & B, and HPV, helping ensure we keep each other safe.

Notes to editors:

• The vaccine that can now be offered to high-risk individuals at local sexual health clinics is the existing vaccine for meningococcal disease (4CMenB) that also helps protect against gonorrhoea.
• Eligible patients attending clinics for the gonorrhoea vaccine will also be offered mpox, hepatitis A and B and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations, providing comprehensive protection against an array of diseases.
• The 4CMenB vaccine is expected to be available in sexual health clinics in every region in England by September 4th 2025
• Patients can find their local sexual health clinic via the following website: Find a sexual health clinic - NHS
• Further information about the symptoms and treatment of gonorrhoea is available on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gonorrhoea/)
• Throughout National HIV Testing Week, local activation partners helped make HIV testing easier to access by enhancing community outreach and providing testing opportunities in barber shops, hair salons and other key community settings. This has been particularly successful to increase testing among black African communities and people who are less likely to engage with local sexual health services.

ANNEX:

• Dr Will Nutland, Director of The Love Tank said, “The introduction of this world-first gonorrhoea vaccination programme is an essential investment in the sexual health of the UK. The vaccination programme takes us one step closer to reducing one of the most common sexually transmitted infections; one that impacts disproportionately on key groups of people. We must now ensure that vaccines reach those groups, including people who are least likely to visit sexual health services”
• Richard Angell OBE, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said, “We asked and the government listened. The roll-out of this vaccine could be a turning point in our fight against rising rates of gonorrhoea. Now we need to make sure that everyone who could benefit from this vaccine knows about it. If we get that right, the potential impact is huge: reducing the burden on sexual health services, avoiding complications the virus can cause, and 100,000 people over the next decade who won't get gonorrhoea.”
• Greg Fell, President of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said, “Staff on the ground do an amazing job to provide support in a safe, non-judgemental environment and today marks a major milestone in their work to prevent infections, reduce health inequalities and reverse the increasing numbers of STIs we are seeing.”
• Sarah Aston, from the English HIV and Sexual Health Commissioners' Group, said, “This is a much-needed and very welcome intervention, and one that public health staff will work hard to embed within sexual health services locally to reverse the alarming rise in gonorrhoea cases across the country.”
• Charlotte Cooke, Director of Services at LGBT Foundation, said, “The launch of the new gonorrhoea vaccine marks meaningful progress in tackling sexually transmitted infections. This is an important step forward for LGBTQ+ communities, especially gay, bi and other men who have sex with men, as they are more likely to be impacted. At LGBT Foundation, we welcome this opportunity to continue to close the gap on long-standing health inequalities faced by our communities.This moment of progress aligns well with the prevention-based approaches within the Government's new 10 Year Health Plan, which our work routinely shows to be effective. We look forward to working with partners across NHS and public health to ensure our communities have equitable, stigma-free access to the vaccine.”
• Professor Tracy Daszkiewicz, President at the Faculty of Public Health President, said: “Preventing ill-health before it occurs is always the best course of action, and with the rate of Gonorrhoea diagnoses in England at an all-time high, this world-leading vaccine rollout represents a major public health achievement. This timely intervention will help reduce the impact of Gonorrhoea not only by reducing the level of transmission, but also by combatting the risks associated with antibiotic resistance. By targeting those at the highest risk of infection this programme is an important opportunity to tackle the significant inequalities we see in sexual health outcomes, including for gay and bisexual men.”
• Dr Janet Barter, President at the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, said, “This is extremely welcome news. Frontline clinicians working in sexual healthcare have seen an extraordinary rise in sexually transmitted infections, with gonorrhoea being particularly prevalent and a particular problem. So, a vaccination which reduces the incidence of infection should be a real game-changer as it has been for so many other diseases, which today have been all but eradicated in the UK thanks to the development of vaccines.”
• Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Local authority commissioned sexual health services play a vital role at detecting, treating, and managing the growing number of cases of gonorrhoea across the country. The targeted roll-out of the vaccine could be a game-changer in preventing the spread of gonorrhoea and easing pressure elsewhere in the NHS. Sexual health clinics are on the front line of STI outbreaks and continue to work hard to meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of their local communities. Vaccination provides the best protection for those who are at most at risk of the STI. We strongly encourage all those who are eligible to come forward and access the vaccine at your local sexual health clinic – get protected and help protect others too.”
• Professor Matt Phillips, President at The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV said, “The rollout of a gonorrhoea vaccination programme marks an important step forward for sexual health in England. It provides a powerful new tool to tackle record-high rates that are disproportionately impacting on some communities, as well as the growing challenge of antibiotic-resistant strains. Vaccination not only helps to protect the individual but also their sexual partners, with much wider public health benefits. We need to prioritise prevention strategies like this to address significant inequalities in sexual health outcomes that persist across the country.”