A new UKHSA provisional report for a selected number of childhood vaccines provides early indications of the impact of the recent changes to the routine childhood vaccination schedule.

Vaccine coverage shows that the new schedule is already helping to provide earlier protection for babies against meningitis B (MenB).

Sadly, we continue to see the consequences of sub-optimal MMR/V vaccine uptake. Confirmed measles cases have risen significantly this year, and 2 children have tragically lost their lives to this disease. 

We continue to work with partners to urge parents to check their children are up to date with their childhood vaccinations to give them the best and safest protection against infectious disease.

Further resources

• There are a range of communications assets available which have been designed as part of UKHSA, DHSC and NHSE’s campaign to encourage uptake of routine childhood vaccinations for children aged 0–5. These are available on the Campaign Resource Centre.
• We also have a measles communications toolkit which brings together a range of resources which partners can use to raise awareness of measles, its signs and symptoms, and the MMR/MMRV vaccination offer. This is available on our Google Drive.

As the warmer weather encourages more of us to be out and about enjoying the great outdoors, we are reminding the public to be aware of where ticks are found and how to remove them safely and quickly, as some tick bites can result in infections such as Lyme disease.

Peak tick season in the UK usually begins in March, with most bites commonly reported during May and June, and ends in October, although ticks can be active all year round.

We have published two new blog posts to help people 'be tick aware':

• 'What are ticks and how can you avoid being bitten?'
• 'What is Lyme disease and how is it diagnosed and treated?'

A reminder that we have a tick awareness communications toolkit. It contains background information, key messages of the campaign, key behaviours for the public to follow, social media assets, suggested social media copy and links to useful information.

UKHSA continues to work closely with the Met Office, the NHS and other government departments to prepare for hot weather events this summer.

It is vitally important that people understand the risk posed by high temperatures, and take steps to keep themselves and their friends, families and neighbours safe.

UKHSA guidance on staying safe in hot weather is available online. 

Individuals and organisations that wish to receive the heat-health alerts  must register to receive the alerts where users will be able to specify which regions they wish to receive alerts for. The alert status is also publicly available on the UKHSA Data Dashboard.

To support stakeholders with their communications during periods of hot weather, we have a communications toolkit available. The material in this toolkit is intended to provide basic health information that can be communicated during hot spells so that the right messages reach the right people at the right time. This year we have included some new messaging on staying safe from direct sun.

There are also a series of blog posts which your audiences may find useful: 

• UKHSA: How to keep cool and stay well during hot weather
• UKHSA: How to stay healthy while wild swimming
• Department for Education: Hot weather and heatwaves: guidance for schools and other education settings

If you are unable to access the toolkit, please email externalaffairs@ukhsa.gov.uk and we can send across a hard copy. Please do not publish the toolkit anywhere online to prevent old, outdated versions of the toolkit circulating.

The UKHSA Conference 2026 will take place on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 September at Manchester Central. The conference will bring together partners from across public health, health protection and the wider health security community to share learning, showcase innovation and strengthen collaboration.

Exhibition stands are available to purchase, offering a fantastic opportunity to showcase your organisation to delegates from across the health security community. Sponsorship packages are also available for organisations looking to raise their profile and support this flagship event. To find out more about exhibition and sponsorship opportunities, check out our Sponsorship and Exhibition Brochure. To book your space or find out more, please contact conference@ukhsa.gov.uk or complete the booking form UKHSA Conference 2026 Sponsorship and Exhibition application before Friday 3 July.

Last month Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and devolved nations announced that thousands of young people will get protection against meningococcal B disease (MenB) through a one-off vaccination programme launching ahead of the 2026 academic year.

The one-off vaccination programme will be offered to:

• Everyone in England and Wales born between 01/09/2007 and 31/08/2008 (current school year 13) or equivalent final year of school age (Year 14 or S6) in Scotland and Northern Ireland. 
• Everyone turning 25 after 31/12/2026 who will be starting higher education for the first time, or who will be living in further education accommodation or halls of residence for the first time, in autumn 2026. This includes international students and students in the UK Devolved Administrations and Crown Dependencies.
• International students under 25 entering their first year of university should receive their first dose in their home country where possible.

Eligible people will need two doses for protection, with the first being offered from July and the second dose provided from August.

We have also published our Q&A style blog post to help answer some questions people might have about this vaccination offer.

We are in the process of creating a communications toolkit to support stakeholders promote the offer to those eligible. We will share this resource in this bulletin ahead of the national booking system going live on 13th July.