+ 1 more offer it outside the routine schedule
What the MenB vaccine protects against
Protects against group B meningococcal bacteria, the most common cause of meningococcal meningitis and sepsis (blood poisoning) in young children in Europe.
Also known as: Bexsero, Trumenba
Why children are given it
Meningococcal disease can go from first symptoms to life-threatening in hours and can leave survivors with amputations, deafness or brain injury. Group B was the last common group without a vaccine until recently.
From each country's official schedule, checked against its sources (last full check 2026-09-16). Tap a country for its whole schedule and a personalised timeline.
| Country | Routine doses |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 8 weeks (1st of 3) MenB vaccine 12 weeks (2nd of 3) MenB vaccine 1 year (12-13 months) (3rd of 3 (booster))
MenB vaccine |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 16 years (Shared decision, 16-23)
Meningococcal B (MenB) |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Not on the routine schedule
Also offered: Meningococcal B (Bexsero) - 6 weeks, 4 months, 12 months. Funded for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children with certain medical conditions; available privately for others. |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇮🇳 India | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 2 months (1st of 2 (+1)) Meningococcal B (MenB) 4 months (2nd) Meningococcal B (MenB) 11 months (Booster)
Meningococcal B (MenB) booster |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 2 months (1st of 2 + booster) MenB 4 months (2nd) MenB 12 months (3rd of 3 (booster))
MenB booster |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 3 months (1st of 2 + booster) MenB (Bexsero) 5 months (2nd) MenB (Bexsero) 12 months (Booster (3rd))
MenB (Bexsero) booster |
| 🇫🇷 France | 3 months (1st of 2 + booster) Meningococcal B (MenB) 5 months (2nd) Meningococcal B (MenB) 12 months (Booster (3rd))
Meningococcal B (MenB) booster |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | Not on the routine schedule |
Good to know
- "Men" is short for meningococcal, a type of bacteria - it has nothing to do with boys or men. Girls and boys are vaccinated alike.
- Meningococcal disease can become life-threatening within hours, and survivors can be left with amputations, deafness or brain injury.
- MenB is one of the newer childhood vaccines, so whether it is routine varies a lot between countries.
Side effects: what is normal
- Fever is common, especially when MenB is given with other baby vaccines. In the UK, parents are advised to give infant paracetamol after the baby MenB doses - follow the advice of your own country's health service.
- Soreness, swelling or a hard lump where the injection was given.
- Irritability, sleepiness or being off their feed for a day or two.
Most side effects are mild and pass within a day or two. Get medical advice straight away if your child has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or mouth, a fit, a temperature of 38°C or more in a baby under 3 months, or you are worried in any way. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Your doctor, nurse, health visitor or pharmacist can advise on your own child.
It depends on the country. Across the 6 countries that include it on their routine schedule, the first dose is given from 8 weeks to 16 years. In the UK it is given at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 1 year (12-13 months). In the US it is given at 16 years. The table on this page shows every country.
Routine schedules give 1 to 3 doses in childhood, depending on the country and the product used. Combination vaccines can mean one injection counts towards several diseases.
It is routine in 6 of the 14 countries on this site. Australia offers it to particular groups of children (for example by season, health condition or risk). We do not currently list it on the childhood schedule for Canada, South Africa, India, Russia, Netherlands, Brazil and Singapore - some countries run separate regional, seasonal or risk-group programmes, so ask your local clinic.
Yes. Vaccines on the childhood schedule are given by age, not by sex - girls and boys receive the same doses at the same ages.
It is almost never too late to catch up, and a missed dose rarely means starting again - your doctor or nurse will continue from where your child left off. A few vaccines (such as rotavirus) have upper age limits. Contact your clinic to book a catch-up appointment.
- United Kingdom - NHS / UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
- United States - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / ACIP
- Germany - Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute / ECDC
- Ireland - Health Service Executive (HSE) / National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC)
- New Zealand - Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora / Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC)
- France - Ministere de la Sante / Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) - calendrier vaccinal
- Canada - Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) / National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)
- Australia - Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care - National Immunisation Program (NIP)
- South Africa - National Department of Health - Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI-SA)
- India - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)
- Russia - Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation - National Preventive Vaccination Calendar
- Netherlands - RIVM - National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma)
- Brazil - Ministerio da Saude - Programa Nacional de Imunizacoes (PNI)
- Singapore - Ministry of Health (MOH) / Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) - National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS)
- NHS - MenB vaccine (side effects and more)
- NHS - NHS vaccinations and when to have them
- CDC - Possible side effects from vaccines
- WHO - Vaccines and immunization
How we research and check this information: our editorial policy.
More vaccine guides
MMR vaccine · Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine · 6-in-1 vaccine · Whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine · Polio vaccine · Hib vaccine · Hepatitis B vaccine · Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) · Rotavirus vaccine · MenACWY and MenC vaccines · HPV vaccine · Children's flu vaccine · BCG (tuberculosis) vaccine · Hepatitis A vaccine · RSV protection for babies
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