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Updates & News

JUNE 2026

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UPDATES FOR ALL

This seminar looks good and is FREE! Re-thinking pandemic preparedness. This event will explore the current landscape of pandemic preparedness, who it serves and what learnings can be taken from social science research to better inform future preparedness. Date: 17 June 2026 Time: 12:30 – 14:00 UK time Location: Keppel Street LG19 or online

4th June: Flu briefings for primary and secondary schools added to the 2026 to 2027 flu collection.

5th June: Vaccination of individuals with uncertain or incomplete immunisation algorithm updated again: Print versions updated to reflect the changes to the RSV programme in that all adult resident in care homes are now eligible for RSV vaccination.

9th June: There has been an amendment or two to the annual flu letter. The flu Green Book chapter has also been updated to reflect that people experiencing homelessness have been added to eligible risk groups.

10th June: Will the World Cup kick off disease outbreaks? Don’t expect pathogens to steal the show, says research group that studied the risk of visiting fans spreading infections.

10th June: Much needed: Understanding and addressing immunisation inequities toolkit. A toolkit to support local and regional stakeholders to understand and act on immunisation inequities in the populations they serve.

10th June: US measles cases pass 2,000 this year as outbreak nears worst in decades. The US has recorded more than 2,000 confirmed measles cases so far this year – near the total of 2,228 recorded in all of 2025, and on track to become the worst year for measles in decades

11th June: Latest measles figures published as two deaths confirmed in 2026

18th June: We have a flu VGD!!! And also the PGD has landed.

22nd May: Vaccine update has landed!

25th June: As part of the GP contract, practices are required to take part in an annual national vaccine catch-up campaign. NHSE has confirmed that this year’s focus on MMR/V follows recent measles outbreaks and the removal of England’s measles elimination status. So, from 7 July 2026, there will be a six-week national invitation campaign for children aged 6 to 11 years who appear to be missing one or two doses of a measles-containing vaccine. Parents and guardians will be advised to contact their child’s GP practice to book vaccination, or to request that records are updated if two doses have already been given. If you work in General Practice, make sure you have have sufficient appointment and vaccine capacity to manage the expected increase in demand for MMR/V vaccination.

25th June: Following JCVI advice, the autumn/winter 2026 COVID-19 vaccination programme will run (alongside flu) from 1 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. Eligible cohorts are the same as last year: adults aged 75 years and over; residents in a care home for older adults; and individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in the ‘immunosuppression’ sections of tables three or four in the COVID-19 chapter of the green book).

CHILDHOOD/ADOLESCENT/YOUNG ADULT IMMUNISATION NEWS

4th June: Flu briefings for primary and secondary schools added to the 2026 to 2027 flu collection.

12th June: GREAT MenB news (although I have to admit finding out about this on BBC news)!! Meningitis B vaccine to be offered to a million young people. While each nation has slightly different plans, the one-off MenB vaccination programme (2 doses 28d apart) will broadly be available to:

  • Most pupils completing Year 13 or S6 in the summer of 2026 - irrespective of their education plans. (Most children from this age group who are not currently in school will also be eligible.)

  • Young people aged 18-25 starting university or moving into residential further education settings for the first time in autumn 2026

Here's what UKHSA have to say about it in their press release.

And on 29th June links were added to an information for healthcare practitioners doc and training slides, booking information and PGD.

16th June: More info about the MenB implementation - find everything you need here. And the letter is here. Community pharmacies are commissioned under an advanced service specification. The limited PGD is also in situ now. The size of the eligible cohort of vaccinees is estimated to be around 1 million people.

18th June: A new study has found the HPV vaccine has saved around 200 lives in England so far. As part of this, between 2020 and 2024, there were no deaths recorded in women aged 20 to 24 from cervical cancer. Reported in the Guardian - and this is the Lancet study.

Electronic Red Books? What did I just accidentally discover....?

25th June: The latest UKHSA COVER data for January to March 2026 shows a small fall in routine childhood vaccination coverage compared with the previous quarter, including decreases in uptake of the 6-in-1, pneumococcal, rotavirus and MenB vaccines measured at 12 months, and a slight fall in MMR1 coverage at 24 months. There were small increases in some measures taken at 5 years, including MMR1, MMR2 and the pre-school booster, and Scotland and Wales met the WHO 95% target for both 6-in-1 and MMR1 coverage measured at 5 years. However, coverage remains uneven, with the lowest uptake seen in London and more deprived areas. Overall, coverage remains below the higher levels seen over the last decade, suggesting the longer-term downward trend has not yet been reversed. This quarter’s figures are not dramatic in isolation, but they are concerning because they sit within a wider pattern of declining childhood vaccine uptake. The main message for practice is the importance of opportunistic checking, accurate recording, recall systems and clear conversations with parents, particularly in areas where coverage is lowest. Interestingly, regarding the million dollar question around MMRV uptake, they also state "Sufficient data is not yet available to assess whether the introduction of the 18 month appointment has improved coverage of MMRV dose 1, nor to assess coverage of MMRV dose 2, but these will be addressed in future publications."

TRAVEL HEALTH NEWS

NECTM10 in Belfast this month was awesome. Came away with lots of new ideas for additions to the site so I will be busy updating things after I have finished my reflections. The conference felt like a family reunion. Great to be around so many wonderful people in this amazing field of practice. Loved it.

Incidentally, while we are on the topic of education, the RCPSG are putting on more free short 'Let's Talk Travel Health' webinars this year which you may want to sign up for. They were very informative last year and I have already booked my place! Find the booking link here (and also in my CPD section so it doesn't get lost in the news feed).

2nd June: Phase 1 clinical trial set to begin on first leishmaniasis vaccine

8th June: Oh no!! Butantan dengue vaccine temporarily suspended in Brazil after two deaths and 42 severe adverse events among 500 000 recipients

12th June: Thought it was time for a cholera blog. I've neglected cholera recently. Here it is: Keep Calm and Give Cholera Vaccine: Navigating Cholera Vaccination in General Practice.

15th June: WHO issues first ever guidance to advance child-focused dengue treatments and Dengue: Brazil suspends rollout of new vaccine after two deaths

16th June: Africa CDC head warns Ebola outbreak could be worst ever

17th June: New and updated HTML version of the malaria guidelines - check it out!!! IMPORTANT: NaTHNaC are in the process of updating the appropriate country-specific malaria changes on their individual country pages. In the interim period, the UKMEAG Malaria prevention guidelines for travellers from the UK should be consulted for the most up to date country recommendations. Refer to their alert about this here. Don't forget to double check!!! It's now in a new HTML format rather than a single PDF. The main confirmed content updates are revised country advice for India, and the removal of TRAVAX/FitforTravel following retirement of that service. Botswana advice has also been updated, with the high-risk season in northern Botswana now listed as October to May. The underlying ABCD approach and individual risk assessment principles remain broadly unchanged, but the new web format should allow maps and country advice to be updated more readily.

19th June: Rabies post exposure risk assessment form and calendar updated to V7. Note the phone number change.

20th June: A six-year-old Ebola patient and her mother are missing after armed men stormed an Ebola treatment centre in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, highlighting the ongoing security challenges facing outbreak response teams.

24th June 2026: Pandemic pathogens, dengue, cholera were world’s largest emerging infectious disease burdens from 2000 to 2022

June 2026: Valneva Supply Update: Valneva reports that supplies of Dukoral remain good. However, Ixiaro is currently out of stock, with resupply expected in late August or early September, although some wholesalers may still have stock available. Ixchiq is also currently unavailable, with resupply anticipated in September. Don't forget you can sign up for stock alerts via Valneva’s supply notification service. Valneva also has a great range of educational materials, including downloadable posters and videos covering chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, and mosquito-borne diseases.

ADULT IMMUNISATION NEWS

5th June: RSV training materials update: The link to the maternal vaccination slide set has been updated. Not surprising that the GREEN BOOK has also been updated to reflect the adult prog changes and also to include the MHRA approval of clesrovimab.

11th June: Inadvertent vaccination in pregnancy (VIP) guidance updated. (Advice for health professionals on pregnant women who are inadvertently vaccinated against chicken pox (varicella), shingles or measles, mumps, rubella).

My reading list this month (Ebola seems to have dominated it!):