4CMenB Vaccine Confers Modest Protection Against Gonorrhea in Teens

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The 4C meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine confers modest protection against gonorrhea among adolescents, according to a study published online Aug. 4 in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Mark McMillan, Ph.D., R.N., from the University of Adelaide in Australia, and colleagues examined the impact of 4CMenB immunization on gonorrhea disease and oropharyngeal meningococcal carriage among adolescents in the Northern Territory, Australia. Between 2021 and 2023, all adolescents aged 14 to 19 years were eligible to receive two doses of 4CMenB. Linked notification and immunization data were used to assess vaccine effectiveness (VE) against gonorrhea.

The VE analysis included 30,650 adolescents (42.4 percent identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders); 9.6 percent received two doses of 4CMenB. The researchers found that vaccinated adolescents had reduced gonococcal notifications (VE, 38.4 percent). There was an increase seen in meningococcal carriage from 4.0 to 6.2 percent (odds ratio, 1.68), which was driven by genogroup B and nongroupable strains. Carriage of disease-associated meningococci was unchanged.

“This study adds to growing evidence that the MenB vaccine may offer modest protection against gonorrhea when provided to young people, in addition to its established role in preventing invasive meningococcal B disease,” principal author Helen Marshall, M.B.B.S., M.D., M.P.H., also from the University of Adelaide, said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text