Nurses have welcomed the launch of a targeted vaccination programme against gonorrhoea, which began its rollout this week.
Sexual health clinics in England are now offering a free vaccine to patients at highest risk of the sexually transmitted infection (STI), including gay and bisexual men who have a recent history of multiple sexual partners and a bacterial STI in the previous 12 months.
“As nurses on the frontline of sexual health provision, we must advocate for prioritising prevention initiatives such as this”
Jodie Crossman
The programme follows acceptance by ministers from all four UK nations of advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which in November 2023 recommended the rollout of the vaccine after a sharp rise in gonorrhoea diagnoses.
England was the first country to announce that it would introduce the vaccine, with the devolved administrations following shortly afterwards.
The programmes will use the 4CMenB vaccine, which is already being administered to protect against meningococcal B disease.
Research by the UK Health Security Agency has shown that 4CMenB provides up to 40% protection from gonorrhoea and could help tackle the increasing levels of antibiotic resistant strains of the disease.
Further research by Imperial College London suggests that the vaccine could prevent up to 100,000 cases of gonorrhoea over the next decade, as well as save the NHS £7.9m, if high uptake is achieved.
The vaccination rollout comes as diagnoses of gonorrhoea have reached their highest levels since records began.
In 2023, there were 85,000 cases of the disease reported in England – three times higher than in 2012.
Jodie Crossman, clinical nurse specialist and national nurse representative for the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), told Nursing Times that the programme “represents an important step” towards preventing STIs in England.
She said: “As nurses working within sexual health services, we see first-hand the increasing burden of gonorrhoea infections, which continue to rise at record rates.
“These infections disproportionately affect certain populations, exacerbating existing health inequalities,” she noted.
Jodie Crossman
Ms Crossman highlighted vaccination as a vital means to protect individuals and their sexual partners from gonorrhoea.
She added: “As nurses on the frontline of sexual health provision, we must advocate for prioritising prevention initiatives such as this, ensuring equitable access across all communities.
“Addressing the persistent disparities in sexual health outcomes demands a sustained commitment to evidence-based interventions that empower individuals and protect public health.”
The government minister for public health and prevention, Ashley Dalton, said: “Rolling out this world-leading gonorrhoea vaccination programme in sexual health clinics in England represents a major breakthrough in preventing an infection that has reached record levels.
“This government’s world-first vaccination programme will help turn the tide on infections, as well as tackling head-on the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.”
He added: “I strongly encourage anyone who is eligible to come forward for vaccination, to protect not only yourselves but also your sexual partners.”
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