Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 29 April 2026.
Rosie Duffield
Independent, Canterbury
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to run targeted meningitis awareness activity for teenagers, young adults, students and their families ahead of the next academic year, including information on symptoms, urgency of seeking medical help and available meningococcal vaccines.
Sharon Hodgson
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care
Raising awareness in parents, teenagers, and young adults about the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia, as well as the benefits of the MenACWY vaccine, remains a priority.
The Department, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and NHS England have been working with national and local partners across the higher education, further education, school, and early years sectors on meningitis. This includes sharing a range of resources to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia/sepsis, when to seek medical attention, and the vaccine offers available.
Engagement and support with key sector stakeholders will continue in the run up to the new academic year and will include further sharing communications resources, including regional public relations and targeted stakeholder outreach in areas where universities are based, and digital content on owned channels raising awareness and encouraging students, young people, and their families to check they are up-to-date on vaccinations.
The UKHSA also provides a range of resources and assets, co-branded with the National Health Service, including information leaflets about the importance of vaccination and posters about the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia including the save a life posters and stickers for accommodation, catering, and high traffic areas. These are available in multiple languages and accessible formats, including easy read, British Sign Language, and braille, at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-public-health-resources
A collaboratively produced university vaccine communications toolkit is also available and is shared via Universities UK and the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education, with further information available at the following link:
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
