Should we be doing more to prevent Group C meningococcal infection in school age children? How can we decide?

Meningococcal Group C infections are potentially preventable by vaccination in most cases. Population immunization has not been adopted because the disease is rare and the vaccine effective for only about three years. However, the recent rise in cases in school age children has prompted an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of alternative strategies for management of a case of Group C infection. Chemoprophylaxis and vaccination of close contacts is the most cost-effective strategy but will prevent relatively few cases. Population vaccination prevents considerably more cases, but at a much higher total and marginal cost. An intermediate strategy of giving antibiotics to and vaccinating the school population following a single case, in addition to contact tracing, has intermediate cost-effectiveness. Policy decisions will take into account other important factors but the approach we have taken makes explicit key assumptions so that wider debate including profession and public can be developed.