England is to be the first country in the world to roll out the gonorrhoea vaccine as rates of the bacterial sexually transmitted infection soar.
In 2023 there were over 85,000 cases of gonorrhoea diagnosed in England, the highest number since records began in 1918.
The vaccine, which initially will be offered to men who have sex with men, is estimated to be around 30% to 40% effective at preventing the STI. That efficacy number is because the vaccine wasn’t specifically designed to protect against gonorrhoea, but meningitis B. It wasn’t until some time later that researchers discovered its potential for the protection against gonorrhoea.
Researchers at Imperial College London believe that if the vaccine uptake is wide enough up to 100,000 cases of gonorrhoea could be prevented over the next decade – saving the NHS around £8,000,000.
People seeking the new vaccine will also be offered vaccinations for mpox, HPV and hepatitis B.
Gonorrhoea is characterised by pain, unusual discharge, inflammation of the genitals and infertility – but can often be asymptomatic (no symptoms) which can cause challenges in getting people diagnosed and treated.
Sexual health clinicians are also concerned about the rising difficulty of treating gonorrhoea, with drug-resistant variants becoming more and more common. The vaccine is seen as a way to slow the rise in infections whilst new treatments are developed.
Saving Lives’ Medical Advisor, Dr Naomi Sutton commented on the news of the roll out:
“We at Saving Lives are thrilled to hear that NHS England will soon begin prescribing a vaccine for the prevention of gonorrhoea.
At a time when we’re seeing more and more cases of gonorrhoea, including drug resistant cases, this intervention couldn’t have come sooner.
The vaccine, when appropriately prescribed to people most at risk of contracting the STI, will be yet another tool in our toolbox of preventing and managing gonorrhoea.
Vaccines are not, however, a substitute for frequent testing and the use of barrier prevention such as condoms.
We recommend that anyone who is sexually active gets tested for all STIs and BBVs once a year – or more frequently if they feel that they have been at risk.
The vaccine, like testing, treatment, and condoms, are available for free on the NHS – via your local sexual health service.
Saving Lives are excited to see the impact this new intervention will have on gonorrhoea rates across England.”
The public health and NHS bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to make decisions on rolling out the vaccine in their areas in the coming months.
