England to launch world’s first routine gonorrhoea vaccination programme

England is set to become the first country globally to introduce a routine vaccination programme against gonorrhoea, marking a significant milestone in sexual health, health officials announced this week.

The move comes in response to rising infection rates, with gonorrhoea cases reaching 85,000 in 2023—the highest number recorded since data collection began in 1918. Authorities have also expressed concern over growing antibiotic resistance in some strains of the infection.

The vaccine being used, 4CMenB, is already administered to infants as part of the routine immunisation schedule to protect against meningococcal B disease—a serious bacterial illness that can cause meningitis and sepsis. The jab is typically given to babies at eight and 16 weeks, with a booster at one year.

Dr. Amanda Doyle, NHS England’s national director for primary care and community services, described the rollout as “a huge step forward for sexual health,” emphasizing its role in protecting individuals, slowing the spread of infection, and combating antibiotic-resistant strains of gonorrhoea.

Eligible individuals will be contacted in the coming weeks, with the programme scheduled to start on August 1 through sexual health clinics run by local authorities. At these appointments, patients may also be offered vaccinations against mpox, HPV, and hepatitis A and B.

Gonorrhoea is the UK’s second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection. Symptoms can include yellow or green discharge, pain during urination, and rectal discomfort. Women may experience lower abdominal pain or irregular bleeding, although many people show no symptoms.

The 4CMenB vaccine contains proteins from Neisseria meningitidis, the bacteria that causes meningococcal disease and is genetically similar to Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which causes gonorrhoea. Studies by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) suggest the vaccine is between 32.7% and 42% effective at preventing gonorrhoea.

While the vaccine does not offer complete protection, the JCVI concluded that it is still beneficial, particularly because past gonorrhoea infections do not offer significant immunity against reinfection.

The new initiative comes amid growing concerns about resistance to ceftriaxone, the first-line antibiotic for treating gonorrhoea. Some strains have evolved to survive this treatment, and a number have become extensively drug-resistant (XDR), failing to respond to ceftriaxone and alternative therapies.

Between January 2024 and March 2025, the UK Health Security Agency reported 17 cases of ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea and nine XDR cases—up from just five XDR cases in the previous year.