Britain becomes first in the world to introduce routine gonorrhea vaccination

The United Kingdom will introduce a routine vaccination program against gonorrhea. This should prevent a rise in the incidence, as gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial STI in the country.

This is reported by The Guardian.

Officials are calling the move a “landmark moment for sexual health”. Doctors will use an existing vaccine called 4CMenB, which fights meningococcal type B infection — which causes meningitis and sepsis. The drug is part of the standard childhood immunization schedule, given to babies at 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and one year.

The vaccine contains proteins from Neisseria meningitidis, the bacteria that causes meningococcal infection. It is genetically closely related to Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which causes gonorrhea.

Studies by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have shown that the effectiveness of 4CMenB against the disease is between 32.7% and 42%. This means that the drug significantly reduces the risk of infection, but does not guarantee complete protection. The JCVI notes that vaccination still makes sense, because having had gonorrhea does not provide reliable immunity against a second case.

Patients who are eligible for the vaccine will be contacted in the coming weeks. The procedure will be available from August 1 through local government-funded sexual health services. During the visit, people will also be offered vaccinations against mpox (monkey pox), human papillomavirus, hepatitis A and B.

The UK Ministry of Defence is urging citizens to take advantage of the offer, not only to protect each otherʼs health, but also to help overcome the threat of antibiotic resistance.

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