ACIP Issues Recommendations on Meningococcal Vaccination

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued updated recommendations for the use of meningococcal vaccines in the United States.

A summary report, which was published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, outlined the recommendations, which clarifies existing guidance and replaces all previously published reports. The report also contains new recommendations for the administration of booster doses of serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine for individuals at increased risk for serogroup B meningococcal disease.

Routine vaccination with quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) is recommended for adolescents aged 11 to 12 years with a booster at age 16 years, according to the report.

ACIP also recommends routine vaccination with MenACWY for individuals aged ≥2 months at increased risk for meningococcal disease caused by serogroups A, C, W, and Y, including:

• Individuals with persistent complement component deficiencies
• Individuals receiving a complement inhibitor
• Individuals who have anatomic or functional asplenia
• Individuals with HIV infection
• Microbiologists routinely exposed to isolates of Neisseria meningitidis
• Individuals identified to be at increased risk because of an outbreak
• Individuals who travel to or live in areas in which meningococcal disease is hyperendemic or epidemic
• Unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated first-year college students living in residence halls
• Military recruits

ACIP recommends MenACWY booster doses for previously vaccinated individuals who become or remain at increased risk.

According to the report, individuals aged ≥10 years who are at increased risk for MenB should also be routinely vaccinated with the MenB vaccine series.

Three quadrivalent MenACWY vaccines are currently licensed and available in the US: Meningococcal groups A,C, W, and Y polysaccharide diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine (Menactra); meningococcal groups A, C, W, and Y oligosaccharide diphtheria CRM conjugate vaccine (Menveo); meningococcal groups A, C, W, and Y polysaccharide tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine (MenQuadfi).

Two MenB vaccines are licensed and available in the US: MenB-FHbp (Trumenba) and MenB-4C (Bexsero).

“Although meningococcal disease incidence in the United States is low and decreasing, continued surveillance and evaluations are needed to assess the safety and effectiveness of MenB vaccines, including repeated booster doses among persons at increased risk for meningococcal disease,” the authors wrote.

Reference:

1. Mbaeyi SA, Bozio CH, Duffy J, et al. Meningococcal Vaccination: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.September 25, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr6909a1external icon.