Officials announced that a vaccine for gonorrhea will be launched in England as part of the world's No. 1 plan.

The move is hailed as a “mile-moment in sexual health” and aims to deal with the growing levels of sexually transmitted infections (STI).

In 2023, the highest number of gonorrhea cases in England was 85,000, the highest since its founding record in 1918, warning that some strains are resistant to antibiotics.

The vaccine is an existing prick called 4cmenb for meningococcal B disease, a severe bacterial infection that can cause meningitis and sepsis. It is used in regular children's programs and is given to babies at eight weeks, 16 weeks and one year.

Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England’s National Director of Primary Health Care and Community Services, said: “Performing world-first routine vaccination for gonorrhea is a huge step in sexual health and is critical to protecting individuals, helping to prevent the spread of infection and reducing the improvement of bacterial antibiotic-resistant strains.”

In the next few weeks, eligible patients will be identified and contacted and provided with the JAB from sexual health services commissioned by local authorities on August 1.

On dates, jabs will also be provided for MPOX, human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis C and B.

"NHS teams across the country are now working to plan their rollouts and ensure our ground operation, while the conventional MPOX vaccination program builds on important progress made by the NHS in recent months to reach as many qualified personnel as possible," Doyle added.

Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the UK.

Symptoms may include green or yellow emissions, pain during urination, and pain and discomfort in the rectum. For women, symptoms may include abdominal pain or bleeding between periods. However, many people have no symptoms.

JAB contains proteins of Neisseria meningitis - the bacteria that cause meningococcal disease - which are closely related to the bacteria that cause gonorrhea and Neisseria gonorrhea.

A study by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) shows that the 4CMENB vaccine is effective between 32.7% and 42% against gonorrhea, and although vaccination will reduce the risk of infection, it will not completely eliminate it.

However, JCVI said vaccination would be beneficial, as previous gonorrhea infections were thought to have little protection from future infections.

The plan is warning that cases of gonorrhea-promoting gonorrhea are resistant to the antibiotic ceftriaxone (usually the first treatment) rise in England.

This means that the bacteria that cause sexually transmitted infections develop their ability to survive and reproduce even when exposed to antibiotics.

Some cases are also classified as “widespread drug resistance” or XDR, meaning the infection does not respond to ceftriaxone or a second treatment.

In March, the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) revealed that between January 2024 and March 2025, there were 17 cases of gonorrhea resistant to ceftriaxone.

During the same period, nine XDR cases were reported, and five were between 2022 and 2023.

"This rollout will not only provide much-needed protection for those who need it the most, but it will make the UK the first country in the world to provide this protection and world leaders with protection from Gonorrhea," said Dr. Sema Mandal, consultant epidemiologist and deputy director of UKHSA.

Health Secretary Ashley Dalton urged people to accept the vaccine, "not only keeping each other safe, but also helping to cope with growing antibiotic resistance."

“By targeting the most risky people, we can reduce the transmission rate from this unpleasant disease, which is increasingly difficult to treat and prevent for the next few years,” she added.

Richard Angell, CEO of Terrence Higgins Trust, described JAB as "Gamechanger."

"That alone can reduce new gonorrhea cases by 40%," he said.