New vaccine schedule for meningitis
His eye condition was not a serious problem, but the college freshman just wanted it checked out before he headed back to campus. We discussed ways to manage the sty on his eyelid. Then before sending him out of the office, I took a glance at his master immunization record.
One year ago, I would have informed the young man that he was all up-to-date with his protective vaccinations. In the past few months, however, health organizations have modified the immunization schedule for adolescent meningitis protection by adding a one-time booster dose of the bacterial meningitis vaccine.
Meningococcal meningitis is a relatively uncommon, but potentially devastating bacterial infection of the meninges, or lining of the brain and spinal cord. This infectious disease, caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, is contagious and can be spread through close contact with infected respiratory or oral secretions. Onset of meningococcal illness can be abrupt, and infected adolescents can become seriously ill with debilitating or even fatal cases of meningitis or overwhelming bacterial sepsis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that in the general population of adolescents and young adults, the highest rate of meningococcal disease occurs in 16- to 21-year-olds.
Among those of college age, university freshmen, especially those who live in dorms, have been shown to be at highest risk of acquiring meningococcal infection. For this reason, many university admissions offices now require that incoming students show proof of current meningitis immunization or documentation that they have read about and are aware of the risks of meningococcal disease as well as the availability of a protective vaccine.
The CDC also recommends vaccinating preteens and teens with one of two commercially available MCV4 meningitis shots, the Menactra or Menveo vaccines. The updated vaccine schedule for meningitis immunization now features a primary shot administered during the 11- to 12-year-old pre-adolescent visit, which in Illinois and many other states, coincides with the required sixth-grade physical exam.
A second meningitis booster dose has been added to the adolescent immunization schedule since vaccine protection against the meningococcal bacteria has been found to wane within a five-year period.
This booster meningitis shot can then be given at age 16 with protection covering the teen through that particularly vulnerable first year of college and much of his or her college career. A booster dose is not needed for teens who have received their first meningitis vaccine on or after their 16th birthday.
Parents occasionally ask if they are candidates for the meningitis vaccine. The CDC recommends adult meningitis immunization for military recruits, patients who have damaged or absent spleens, persons with certain immunodeficiencies, microbiologists who come into frequent contact with the N. meningitidis bacterium in the workplace or travelers to high-risk areas of the world such as the “meningitis belt” of Africa.
#8226; Dr. Helen Minciotti is a mother of five and a pediatrician with a practice in Schaumburg. She formerly chaired the Department of Pediatrics at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.