At-Risk Children Get New Meningococcal Vaccine

Med Headlines - Young children at risk of contracting invasive meningococcal disease now have a vaccine available to them that has proven effective in older children and adults. The vaccine, known as Menactra, received approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this past October for use in young children.

Menactra is a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4). The vaccine previously recommended for children aged two to 10 was polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4), also known as Menomune.

Children considered to be at risk are those that live in or travel to countries where meningococcal disease is prevalent on a continuous basis or where there are epidemic outbreaks of the disease.

Other situations that put children at risk include those who have terminal complement component deficiencies, anatomic or functional asplenia, and those who are infected with HIV.

Children given the MPSV4 vaccine within the last three years and who remain at risk can be given the newly approved MCV4 vaccine. Those who were vaccinated with MPSV4 longer than three years ago should receive the MCV4 vaccine as soon as they can.

Anyone diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome may experience increased recurrence with the MCV4 vaccine so, for this group of children, the MPSV4 is preferable.

Booster doses of MCV4 are likely to be needed for children who are at lifelong risk of contracting meningococcal disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published its endorsement of the MCV4 vaccine for young children at risk in its December 7 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.