A vaccine for gonorrhoea is to be rolled out in England as part of a world-first programme, with officials calling it a “landmark moment for sexual health”, that aims to tackle the alarming rise in the sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Gonorrhoea cases in England topped 85 000 in 2023, the highest since records began in 1918, with warnings over some strains being resistant to antibiotics, reports The Guardian.
The vaccine is an existing jab, known as 4CMenB, that is used against the meningococcal B disease, a serious bacterial infection that can cause meningitis and sepsis. It is used in the routine childhood programme and given to babies at eight weeks, 16 weeks and one year.
Dr Amanda Doyle, the national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, said: “The launch of this vaccination for gonorrhoea … will be crucial in protecting individuals, helping to prevent the spread of infection and reduce the rising rates of antibiotic resistance strains of the bacteria.”
Eligible patients will be identified and contacted in the coming weeks, she said, with the jab offered through local authority-commissioned sexual health services from 1 August. At the appointment patients will also be offered jabs for mpox, human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis A and B.
The jab contains proteins from neisseria meningitidis – the bacteria that causes meningococcal disease – which is closely genetically related to neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that causes gonorrhoea.
Studies by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) suggest the 4CMenB vaccine has between 32.7% and 42% effectiveness against gonorrhoea, and while vaccination would slash the risk of becoming infected, it would not eliminate it completely.
However, the JCVI said the vaccination would be beneficial, as previous gonorrhoea infection is thought to offer little protection against future infections.
The programme comes amid warnings that cases of gonorrhoea that are resistant to the antibiotic ceftriaxone – usually the first line of treatment – are on the rise in England.
Some cases are also classed as “extensively drug resistant”, or XDR, meaning the infection did not respond to ceftriaxone or the second line of treatment.
In March, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed there were 17 cases of ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea between January 2024 and March 2025.
In the same period, there were nine XDR cases reported, compared with five cases between 2022 and 2023.
The Guardian article – ‘World-first’ gonorrhoea vaccine to be rolled out in England (Open access)
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