Advances with vaccination against Neisseria meningitidis

In the last decade, meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccination programs have been demonstrated to be hugely successful with a truly impressive public health impact. In sub-Saharan Africa, with the implementation of an affordable serogroup A conjugate vaccine, it is hoped that a similar public health impact will be demonstrated. Challenges still remain in the quest to develop and implement broadly protective vaccines against serogroup B disease. New, broad coverage vaccines against serogroup B are for the first time becoming available although little is known about their antibody persistence, effectiveness or effect on nasopharyngeal carriage. Enhanced surveillance following any potential vaccine introduction against serogroup B needs to be thoroughly implemented. The future now holds a distinct possibility, globally, for substantially decreasing meningococcal disease, regardless of infecting serogroup.