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Expanding prevention of invasive meningococcal disease

Stephen I Pelton1, Gregory P Gilmet

  • 1Maxwell Finland Laboratory for Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. spelton@bu.edu

Expert Review of Vaccines
|June 3, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Implementing meningococcal conjugate vaccines in late infancy or toddlerhood effectively prevents invasive meningococcal disease. This strategy offers comparable protection to early-infant vaccination with fewer doses and better cost-effectiveness.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Vaccinology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135 remains a significant global health concern.
  • Despite medical advancements, IMD morbidity and mortality rates remain high.
  • Meningococcal serogroup C conjugate (MCC) vaccines are effective in young children and induce herd immunity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of a late infancy/toddler vaccination program for IMD prevention.
  • To compare the proposed strategy with early-infant immunization programs.
  • To assess the cost-effectiveness of different vaccination schedules.

Main Methods:

  • Review of evidence from MCC and other conjugate vaccine initiatives.
  • Analysis of disease prevention, herd immunity, and carriage reduction.
  • Comparative assessment of vaccination schedules and dose requirements.

Main Results:

  • Late infancy/toddler immunization programs demonstrate effectiveness in preventing IMD.
  • This approach provides indirect protection via herd immunity.
  • The proposed strategy is associated with fewer doses and improved cost-effectiveness compared to early-infant schedules.

Conclusions:

  • A meningococcal vaccination program initiated in late infancy or the early second year of life is recommended.
  • This strategy offers comparable effectiveness to early-infant immunization.
  • The preferred approach enhances cost-effectiveness and reduces the overall number of vaccine doses administered.

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