20-05-2025
Major breakthrough as NHS launches world first jab to protect against Britain's most common STI as cases hit record high
Britons will be offered a vaccine for gonorrhoea in the coming weeks as part of a world-first launch by the NHS.
Hailed as a 'landmark moment for sexual health', the move aims to tackle rising levels of the increasingly common sexually transmitted infection (STI).
More than 85,000 cases of gonorrhoea were recorded in England in 2023, the highest number since records began in 1918.
Even more worryingly strains of the bacteria resistant to the antibiotics usually used to treat it are also on the rise.
Sexual health charities hailed the move, saying it had the potential to cut new cases of gonorrhoea by 40 per cent.
NHS officials said gay and bisexual men with a recent history of multiple sexual partners or of having bacterial STI will be eligible for the new jab.
They said patients will be identified and contacted in the coming weeks, with the jab to be rolled out from August 1.
Gay and bisexual men were chosen as priorities for the jab based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a panel of scientists that advise the Government on the rollout of jabs.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data shows there was a 9.4 per cent increase in gonorrhoea diagnoses among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in 2023, with cases rising from 37,095 to 40,586.
The vaccine is an existing jab, called 4CMenB, that is currently used to protect people from meningococcal B disease, a serious bacterial infection that can cause meningitis and sepsis.
As the bacteria that causes this disease is closely related to the one behind gonorrhoea the antibodies created by the jab offer some protection against the STI.
However, experts have warned that the jab, like any other vaccine, isn't perfect and that people who get it should still follow safe sex practices and contact a medic if they develop potential symptoms.
Dr Amanda Doyle, 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.'
The JCVI said the 4CMenB vaccine is between 32.7 to 42 per cent effective against gonorrhoea, and while vaccination would slash the risk of becoming infected it doesn't eliminate it completely.
However, the body stressed that vaccination would still be beneficial, as previous gonorrhoea infection is thought to offer little protection against future infections.
Gonorrhoea is the second most common bacterial STI in the UK after chlamydia.
Symptoms gonorrhoea include green or yellow discharge from the vagina or penis, pain when urinating and pain and discomfort in the rectum.
For women, symptoms can include lower abdominal pain or bleeding between periods.
However, many patients don't have any symptoms.
Some studies, cited by the NHS, state that almost half of women and one in 10 men with gonorrhoea are symptom-less and therefore unaware they have the infection.
Left untreated, gonorrhoea can render patients infertile or leave them with agonising long term inflammation in their pelvis.
WHAT IS GONORRHOEA?
Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae or gonococcus.
This bacteria is usually found in discharge from the penis or vaginal fluid.
It is passed through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex, as well as sharing vibrators or sex toys that have been used without a condom.
The bacteria can infect the cervix, urethra, rectum, throat or eyes.
It can also spread from pregnant women to their unborn babies.
As the bacteria cannot survive outside the body for long, gonorrhoea is not spread by kissing, hugging, sharing towels, toilet seats or swimming.
Around one in 10 men and half of women experience no symptoms.
However, these can include:
Thick green or yellow discharge from the genitals
Pain when urinating
Bleeding between periods in women
Treatment is usually a single antibiotic injection and tablet.
Gonorrhoea can be prevented by using condoms during sex and not sharing sex toys.
The rollout of the jab comes amid warnings that cases of gonorrhoea that are resistant to the antibiotic ceftriaxone–usually the first line of treatment for patients who test positive for the disease– 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.
Some cases are also classed as 'extensively drug resistant' – or XDR – meaning the infection did not respond to ceftriaxone or another drug used as an alternative.
In March, 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 to five cases between 2022 and 2023.
Dr Sema Mandal, consultant epidemiologist and deputy director at UKHSA, said: 'This vaccination programme is a hugely welcome intervention at a time when we're seeing very concerning levels of gonorrhoea, including antibiotic resistant gonorrhoea.
'In 2023 we saw gonorrhoea diagnoses reach their highest since records began in 1918.
'Not only will this roll-out 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.'
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'.
'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, chief executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, described the jab as a 'game changer'.
'This alone could cut 40 per cent of new gonorrhoea cases,' he said.
Professor Matt Phillips, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, added: 'This is excellent news and a landmark moment for sexual health in England.
'A new gonorrhoea vaccination a vital part of our efforts to address the significant inequalities we are seeing in sexual health outcomes.'
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that causes gonorrhoea, appears on the UKHSA's list of viruses and bacteria which pose the greatest threat to public health.
Health officials say using condoms is the best way to protect yourself against STIs.
They also encourage any person who has had condomless sex with a new or casual partner to get tested, regardless of their age, gender and sexual orientation.
British medics have seen the drugs they can use to treat gonorrhoea diminish over time.
Doctors used to prescribe the antibiotic ciprofloxacin to treat the STI.
But in 2005 it was no longer recommended as a treatment because the bacteria had become so resistant to it.
Another antibiotic — cefixime — was also dropped for treating gonorrhoea in 2011 after the bacteria again developed a resistance to it.
