Gonorrhoea Vaccine

A new way to protect yourself

It’s called Bexsero (4CMenB).

It’s already used to protect babies against meningitis
It also gives 30–40% protection against gonorrhoea a sexually transmitted infection (STI)
It helps prevent serious infections like septicaemia too

It is not the same as the MenACWY meningitis vaccine that some students get.
That one does not protect against gonorrhoea.

You may be offered the vaccine if you are more at risk of gonorrhoea, for example:

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, especially if:
- You’ve had an STI (like gonorrhoea or chlamydia) in the last year
- You’ve had 5 or more sexual partners in the last 3 months
Sex workers who have sex without condoms

A nurse or doctor will help decide if it’s right for you.

You can only get it at a specialist sexual health clinic

Most clinics will offer it during regular appointments
Some clinics may have vaccine-only appointments
Check your sexual health clinic’s website for details
Not every appointment will include someone who can give the vaccine, so it might not be available every time.

You need 2 doses of the vaccine

Vaccine	Who can get it?
Hepatitis A	Gay and bi men, and others at higher risk
Hepatitis B	Gay and bi men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, people with partners from high-risk countries
HPV vaccine	Gay and bi men under 46 (protects against warts and some cancers)
Mpox vaccine	For those at higher risk, especially gay and bi men

It gives 30–40% protection against gonorrhoea
You can still catch gonorrhoea
It does not protect you from other STIs , so condoms are still important