London, May 21 -- The UK's National Health Service (NHS) and local government are launching the world's first routine gonorrhoea vaccination programme.

Starting in early August, eligible individuals, primarily gay and bisexual men with recent histories of multiple partners or sexually transmitted infections (STIs), will be offered the vaccine through local sexual health services.

In a release on Wednesday, the NHS said, "Eligible patients, which includes gay and bisexual men who have a recent history of multiple sexual partners or a STI, will start to be offered the vaccine through local authority-commissioned sexual health services from early August."

It added, "It comes after the government accepted the Joint Committee on Vaccination...