Vaccination for Bacterial Meningitis

Vaccines can prevent some types of bacterial meningitis and its serious after-effects. Learn about your options.

Although there are fewer cases of bacterial meningitis (caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitides) than there were more than a decade ago, the statistics remain grim: roughly 15 percent of people who contract meningococcal disease die, even after they’ve been treated. Of those who survive, approximately 20 percent have long-term after-effects, including:

• Deafness
• Mental retardation
• Nervous system disorders
• Seizures or strokes

Because of these devastating effects, it’s crucial to get a meningitis vaccine, in part because the vaccine can also protect you from other types of bacterial meningitis. 

Bacterial Meningitis Vaccines

 

There are vaccines that will protect children and adults from most, but not all, kinds of meningococcal disease. In the United States, the two vaccines that can prevent meningococcal disease are:

• Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4 or Menactra). 
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• Licensed in 2005, MCV4 is the newer version of the two vaccines. It can be given to people between the ages of 2 and 55.
• Meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4 or 
• Menomune). 
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•  This vaccine, around since the mid-1970s, can be used when MCV4 is not available. It is the only licensed vaccine for people over age 55.

Each of these vaccines can prevent four kinds of meningococcal disease. They protect about 90 percent of the people who receive them. The newer vaccine, the MCV4, is thought to provide longer-lasting and better protection than the MPSV4.

Under normal circumstances, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that the meningococcal vaccine be given to children between the ages of 11 and 18. Usually, the vaccine is given at a regular doctor’s visit when a child is around 11 or 12. If for some reason your child didn’t get vaccinated at that age, make an appointment for the vaccination to be done as soon as possible. 

The meningococcal vaccine does not work as well in young children and is only given to children who are between 3 months and 2 years of age under special circumstances. The CDC recommends giving these children two doses, three months apart.

If anyone from the age of 2 through 55 is in a high-risk category for bacterial meningitis, they should be vaccinated. Those at higher risk for meningococcal disease include:

• College freshmen, especially those who live in dorms
• Scientists (microbiologists) who are frequently exposed to meningococcal bacteria
• Recruits for the U.S. military
• Travelers to countries where meningococcal disease is common
• People whose spleens have been injured, for example in a car accident, or surgically removed
• People with disorders of the immune system
• Anyone who may have been exposed to someone with bacterial meningitis

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices prefers MCV4 rather than MPSV4 for people at high risk, but if MCV4 is unavailable, MPSV4 can be used. If you or your child is in any of these groups, talk to your doctor about getting vaccinated.

Meningococcal Vaccines Risks

 

As with any medication, a meningococcal vaccine carries risks, but the CDC says the risk of serious harm from this type of vaccination is extremely small. Mild problems include redness or pain at the site of the shot. Some people, but only a small percentage, get a fever. 

More significant side effects may include:

• Weakness
• Changes in behavior
• An allergic reaction — signs of which can include difficulty breathing, hoarseness, getting hives, being pale, weak, or dizzy, or having a fast heartbeat

If any of these occur, contact your doctor immediately. 

Meningococcal Vaccine Pros and Cons

 

On the plus side, meningococcal vaccines are safe and effective. By lowering the risk of contracting or spreading meningococcal disease, the vaccines also reduce the chance of dying or having severe after-effects from meningococcal illnesses.

According to the CDC, the vaccine supply in the United States is the safest, most effective supply in history. But some parents worry about their children receiving vaccinations, and not just for meningococcal disease. If you have such a concern, talk to your child’s doctor and make sure you have all of the facts about vaccine safety and side effects.

Some people should not be vaccinated against meningococcal disease. These include people who:

• Have had a severe allergic reaction in the past to a meningococcal vaccine
• Have a severe allergy to any vaccine component. Be sure to tell your doctor before the vaccination if you have any serious allergies.
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• Are moderately or severely ill
• Have had Guillain-Barré Syndrome

The meningococcal vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect yourself from meningococcal disease and bacterial meningitis. If you, or your child, have not been vaccinated, talk to your doctor to see if the meningococcal vaccine is right for you.