‘World-first’ gonorrhoea vaccine to be rolled out in England and Wales

A vaccine for gonorrhoea will be rolled out in England and Wales as part of a world-first programme, officials have announced.

The move, hailed as a “landmark moment for sexual health”, will aim to tackle rising levels of 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. In Wales, the figures jumped by 27% in 2023 compared with the previous year, reaching a total of 5,292 cases.

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 a world-first routine vaccination for gonorrhoea is a huge step forward for sexual health and 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 in England will be identified and contacted in the coming weeks, with the jab offered through local authority-commissioned sexual health services from 1 August. Public Health Wales said eligible people would be able to get their vaccine from sexual health clinics.

High-risk individuals in Scotland are expected to be offered the vaccine under plans being worked on by Public Health Scotland, while Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency said a targeted vaccination programme was being planned, to protect those at highest risk.

At the appointment patients will also be offered jabs for mpox, human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis A and B.

Doyle added: “NHS teams across the country are now working hard to plan the rollout and ensure we hit the ground running, while the routine mpox vaccination programme builds on the vital progress the NHS has made in recent months in reaching as many eligible people as possible.”

Gonorrhoea is the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the UK.

Symptoms can include green or yellow discharge, pain when urinating and pain and discomfort in the rectum. For women, symptoms can include lower abdominal pain or bleeding between periods. However, many people do not have symptoms.

The jab contains proteins from neisseria meningitidis – the bacteria that causes meningococcal disease – which is closely genetically related with 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% to 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.

This means the bacteria that causes the STI has developed the ability to survive and multiply even when exposed to the antibiotic.

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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.

Dr Sema Mandal, consultant epidemiologist and deputy director at UKHSA, said: “Not only will this rollout provide much needed protection to those that need it most, but it will make the UK the first country in the world to offer this protection and a world leader in protecting people against gonorrhoea.”

The health minister Ashley Dalton urged people to take up the vaccine offer “not only keep each other safe but help tackle the growing threat of antibiotic resistance”.

She added: “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.”

Richard Angell, the chief executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, described the jab as a “gamechanger”.

“This alone could cut 40% of new gonorrhoea cases,” he said.

This article, including the headline, was amended on 22 May 2025 to clarify that Wales is rolling out the vaccination at the same time as England, and to add details of the situation in Scotland and Northern Ireland.