UK health authorities are reviewing meningitis B vaccination protocols after an outbreak in Canterbury claimed two young lives. Health Secretary Wes Streeting ordered the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to examine extending immunization beyond infants to other groups, including teenagers, calling the situation "unprecedented."

Currently, infants receive the MenB vaccine as standard, while teenagers only get protection against MenACWY bacterial types. The Canterbury outbreak has exposed a vulnerability in this approach, as teenagers are at higher risk due to social behaviors and communal living environments. Experts note the vaccine offers imperfect protection that typically lasts only a few years.

A targeted vaccination program is rolling out in Canterbury, with University of Kent students among the first to receive the jab. The UK Health Security Agency reported 15 cases linked to the area, with four confirmed as MenB infections. Last year, 31 people died from meningitis in England despite vaccines introduced in the mid-2010s.