Image source, Getty ImagesThe Meningitis B vaccine does not prevent gonorrhoea infections despite being offered to at-risk men, scientists say.
The NHS started offering the vaccine to men who have sex with men last year, after previous studies suggested it might protect them.
But a new trial in Australia, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has found no significant difference in gonorrhoea infections between men who were given the vaccine and those who were not.
The UK Health Security Agency said its own studies would provide “more robust data” and is not recommending any immediate changes.
Gonorrhoea is a common, bacterial infection which is transmitted through sexual contact.
It can cause pain, unusual discharge and inflammation of the genitals, but in some cases there are no symptoms.
The vaccine, officially known as the 4CMenB vaccine, was designed for preventing meningitis B in babies, but the bacteria that causes the two diseases are closely related.
Since August 2025, gay and bisexual men who have sex with men have been offered the MenB vaccine in the UK, after a number of studies reported a reduction of 38% in gonorrhoea infections for those vaccinated.
However, a new study by the University of New South Wales in Sydney found evidence to suggest the MenB vaccine is ineffective against gonorrhoea.
The trial – called GoGoVax – monitored 587 men over two years.
Half of the participants were given the MenB vaccine while the other half were given a placebo.
The results showed similar levels of new gonorrhoea infections in both groups – 291 for those who had the actual vaccine and 285 for those who did not.
The report’s authors said their findings were consistent with two other studies and, when taken together, provided “strong evidence that the MenB vaccine is not effective for gonorrhea prevention”.
Results ‘disappointing’
The UK Health Security Agency said it was not making any changes at this time.
Dr Mary Ramsay, director of public health programmes at UKHSA UK, said it was “important to consider a range of evidence”.
“Over 30,000 people in England have started this course of vaccination, and this will provide more robust data on vaccine impact and effectiveness. These findings will be published in due course.”
Cases of gonorrhoea remain at record highs compared to 10-years ago.
In England they peaked at 82,592 in 2022. Since then the numbers have reduced to 63,943 in 2025 but they are still double what they were in 2015.
Men who have sex with men are the most disproportionately affected group according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Dr Odile Harrison, associate professor at the University of Oxford’s Population Health Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit said the results were “disappointing” but should not be seen as the end of a search for a vaccine.
“Gonorrhoea remains a major global public health threat, particularly with the continued emergence of antimicrobial resistance, and an effective vaccine remains a high priority,” she said.
Taku Mukiwa, head of health programmes at the sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust, said the results were disappointing and that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) should reconsider the vaccine programme.
“If the evidence has changed, the approach has to change too.”
“Rates of gonorrhoea in the UK are sky high and this is particularly true among gay and bisexual men, and we’re seeing more antibiotic resistant strains of the infection.
“What we do know for sure is that condoms and regular testing remain the cornerstones for preventing and stopping onward transmission of STIs, and we must continue to work to bring down the stubbornly high rates of STIs in this country”, he added.
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20 January 2024
