A new ‘world first’, the NHS is rolling out a gonorrhoea vaccine, with eligible patients, including gay or bisexual men who have a recent history of multiple sexual partners or a sexually transmitted infection (STI), starting to be offered it from August.

This follows a record-high gonorrhoea diagnoses in England in 2023 (three times higher than in 2012) and a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that advised the NHS to rollout the vaccine

The vaccine is an existing one for meningococcal B disease, 4CMenB, and those who receive it could be protected from gonorrhoea by up to 40 per cent. This is also a move to prevent levels of antibiotic resistance from increasing further, which has gained the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) support.

The vaccine could prevent up to 100,000 cases of gonorrhoea and save the NHS over £7.9 million over the next ten years if lots of people take up the offer to get vaccinated, according to analysis by Imperial College London.

Local authority-commissioned sexual health services will identify and contact those eligible through sexual health services, with vaccinations starting from early August. Those eligible will also be offered mpox, hepatitis A and B, as well as human papiloomavirus (HPV) vaccinations.

Minister for public health and prevention, Ashley Dalton, said: “This world-first vaccine programme represents a significant breakthrough for public health, and once again our NHS is leading the way.

“It could not come at a more critical time — after years of neglect of public health services, we inherited gonorrhoea diagnoses at record levels, triple what they were in 2012. By targeting those most at risk, we can reduce transmission rates from this unpleasant disease that is becoming harder to treat and prevent thousands of cases over the next few years.

“I would encourage all those eligible to take up the vaccine when it is offered later this year, to not only keep each other safe but help tackle the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. This groundbreaking initiative will play a key role as we shift the health service from sickness to prevention under our Plan for Change.”