MenB vaccine shows promise against gonorrhoea

Researchers in New Zealand have found that teenagers given a meningitis B vaccine were significantly less likely to contract gonorrhoea, marking the first time a vaccine has shown any protection against the sexually transmitted infection (STI). The retrospective, case-control study, published in The Lancet, found a 31 percent reduction in the incidence of gonorrhoea amongst those vaccinated with the meningitis B jab. "At the moment, the mechanism behind this immune response is unknown, but our findings could inform future vaccine development for both the meningococcal and gonorrhoea vaccines,” noted lead study author Dr Helen Petousis-Harris, from the University of Auckland.