What vaccines do I need before starting at King’s?

If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine, we encourage you to have this when you are eligible to. Vaccination is the best defence against severe illness and hospitalisation. If you are unable to have your vaccine before you arrive, there will be opportunities to receive a vaccination in London; it is free to everyone in the UK, including international students. Please also make sure you are registered with a local doctor.

For more information around this topic, you may find these FAQs from the NHS helpful; visit NHS: Vaccinations and testing. The NHS also has lots more guidance, and we recommend this as your source of official information.

The MenACWY vaccine protects against 4 strains of the meningococcal bacteria – A, C, W and Y – which cause meningitis and blood poisoning (septicaemia), and is given by a single injection into the upper arm. The medical name for the MenACWY vaccine is Nimenrix.

You can ask your GP for the MenACWY vaccine up until your 25^th birthday. If you’re not sure if you’re eligible for the vaccine, you can use the meningitis eligibility checker to find out.

Important to know: You can find out more about the meningitis ACWY vaccine on NHS: MenACWY vaccine overview.

The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella, which easily spread between unvaccinated people.  The vaccine is given as 2 doses of a single injection into the muscle of the thigh or upper arm. If you’ve yet to have 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, you should book a vaccination appointment with your GP.

You should check if you’ve had both doses of the MMR vaccine when/if :

• You’re about to start University

• You're about to travel abroad

• You're born between 1970 and 1979, as you may have only been vaccinated against measles

• You're born between 1980- 1990, as you may not be protected against mumps.

Important to know:

• You can find out more about the MMR vaccines on the NHS: MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.

• You'll need to have 2 doses of the MMR vaccine to ensure full protection.

For more information read our article What do I need to know about measles?

If you are moving to the UK for the first time and have had either, or all these vaccinations in your home country, make sure you bring a record of this with you so it can be added to your medical notes, once you’ve registered with a doctor in the UK.

We also recommend you familiarise yourself with the National Health Service in the UK, since this will help you navigate the various support on offer within the service; read about this in Get to know the NHS.