Meningococcal Acw & Y Vaccine Menactra Or Nimenrix
Menactra is a meningococcal conjugate vaccine to protect against meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y. Menactra is approved for use for those aged 9 months to 55 years.
From 1 December 2019, people aged 13-25 years living in boarding school hostels, tertiary education halls of residence, military barracks, or prisons, can receive a single dose of meningococcal ACWY vaccine free of charge. The catch-up programme is only available until 30 November 2021. For more details see Section 13.5 of the Immunisation Handbook 2020.
The vaccine is funded for children and adults with a medical condition that increases their risk of invasive meningococcal disease AND is listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule.
Menactra is also available as a purchased vaccine through your family doctor. The cost is approximately $150 per dose. For children aged 9 – 23 months, two doses are given at least three months apart. For individuals aged 2 – 55 years, one dose is given.
You Are Pregnant Or Breastfeeding
- Pregnant women who are at increased risk for serogroup A, C, W, or Y meningococcal disease may get MenACWY vaccines.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women who are at increased risk for serogroup B meningococcal disease may get MenB vaccines. However, they should talk with a clinician to decide if the benefits of getting the vaccine outweigh the risk.
Where To Get Your Child Vaccinated
Minnesota has more than 1,100 providers who are able to give COVID-19 vaccines to children and teens. This includes pediatricians, pharmacies, state-run community clinics, schools, local public health agencies, tribal health agencies, and more. The large network of providers will help meet parents and families where they are and allow vaccine to be provided quickly and equitably.
Check to make sure the vaccination location you are going to have the vaccine available that your child needs. The Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year olds is a smaller dose than the Pfizer vaccine for 12-17 year olds, so it is packaged in separate vials.
To get your child vaccinated, you can:
- Check with your childs regular health care provider, such as their pediatrician or your family physician.
- Search for a vaccination location near you on Minnesotas Find Vaccine Locations map.
- Make an appointment with your local pharmacy and search for more information on pharmacy locations on Vaccines.gov.
- Watch for vaccination clinics being offered at schools or other community locations around Minnesota.
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Why Does My Baby Need To Get Immunised Against Menb
MenB infection is most common in babies and young children. This is because their immune systems arent yet fully developed to fight off infection. The highest number of cases are in babies around 5 months of age. This is why the first immunisations are offered to babies younger than this and have to be given at 2 and 4 months of age.
Teenagers and young adults are the next group most affected by MenB because the high level of social activity at these ages leads to an increase in the spread of bacteria.
How Much Does It Cost
The cost of Bexsero varies.
Superdrug health clinics are among the cheapest, selling it for £105 per dose . Boots stores are currently selling it for £110 per dose , while the private clinic chain CityDoc the biggest provider of the vaccine outside the NHS is charging £130 per dose.
Bear in mind that your child will need at least two doses of the vaccine, and in some cases, a booster is also recommended.
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Shouldnt Meningococcal B Vaccine Be Required
CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has reviewed the available data regarding serogroup B meningococcal disease and the vaccines. At the current time, there is no routine recommendation and no statewide requirement for meningococcal B vaccination before going to college . As noted previously, adolescents and young adults may be vaccinated with a serogroup B meningococcal vaccine, preferably at 16 through 18 years of age, to provide short term protection against most strains of serogroup B meningococcal disease. This would be a decision between a healthcare provider and a patient. These policies may change as new information becomes available.
What Is Meningitis Or Meningococcal Disease
Meningococcal disease, often called meningitis, is a relatively rare but serious disease caused by the swelling of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. These illnesses are often severe and include infections of the lining of the brain and spinal cord and bloodstream infections . In 2013, there were 550 cases of meningococcal disease reported in the United States. Meningococcal disease is seasonal, most often occurring in January and February. Teens and young adults ages 16-23 have the highest incidence of disease, which is why the CDC recommends that all children ages 11-18 receive a meningitis vaccine.
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If Your Child Is Missing A Vaccine
Life can get busy and you may not be able to make every vaccination appointment for your child. Your child may also have missed vaccines from your health care provider or their school because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is important to call your health care provider or local public health authority if your child missed receiving any vaccines. They can help your child get back on track with the recommended vaccination schedule. This will help to protect your child from many vaccine-preventable diseases.
Find A Vaccine Appointment At A Pharmacy
Your first stop if you want to skip checking different sites for a vaccine appointment at a pharmacy is to visit the federal governments vaccine-finder site at vaccine.gov.
Major pharmacies, including CVS, Walmart Pharmacy, Rite Aid and Walgreens, are distributing COVID-19 vaccines, and each pharmacy has its own process for signing up or making an appointment.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Meningococcal Disease
Signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease include sudden onset of fever, stiff neck, headache, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and/or mental confusion. A rash may also be present. Changes in behavior such as confusion, sleepiness, and unresponsiveness are important symptoms of illness. Anyone who has these symptoms should be seen by a healthcare provider immediately. In fatal cases, death can occur in as little as a few hours, even with appropriate medical treatment. Less common presentations include pneumonia and arthritis.
Your Child’s Vaccination Schedule
Vaccination schedules are carefully studied and designed to give the best possible protection for children against serious diseases.
Canadians should consult with their health care provider or public health authority to determine when they should visit, and learn about the measures that have been put in place to safely deliver immunization services during COVID-19.
Vaccination schedules can vary slightly, depending on the province or territory you live in. This means that some provinces or territories will vaccinate at a different age.
Typically, your child will be vaccinated:
- between birth to 2 months
- at 4 months
- between 12 months and 18 months
- between 4 to 6 years of age
For some of the vaccines, your child will require more than 1 dose at different times. This is needed because for some vaccines, the first dose does not provide as much immunity as possible.
More than 1 dose is needed to build more complete immunity. The DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccine, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type B, is an example.
In other cases, the initial series of shots that children receive as part of their infant immunizations helps them build immunity. After a while, however, that immunity begins to wear off.
At this point, a “booster” dose is needed to bring immunity levels back up. The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, is a good example.
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Should You Get Your Child Vaccinated Privately
An editorial in the medical journal The Lancet recently called for all children to be vaccinated against the disease, regardless of age, because its effects are so serious.
The article also pointed out that meningitis B is often not diagnosed quickly enough, as its early symptoms can be similar to harmless viral infections. This delay puts lives at risk.
But according to the Meningitis Research Foundation, meningitis B is very rare, particularly in children over 12 months old. Cases have been declining steadily and are now at their lowest in decades. Each year, only five children per 100,000 aged one to four get meningitis B, and its even less common in children over the age of five.
The foundation says:
‘Meningitis B is a devastating disease which can be fatal in 10 per cent of cases and so we understand why parents want to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible. However, we would like to remind people that this is a rare disease.’Although meningitis B affects mainly young babies, teenagers are another at-risk group. So while campaign groups are calling on the vaccination to be introduced to all children under 11, there may be benefits in teenagers being vaccinated too.
Meningococcal C Conjugate Vaccine
NeisVac-C is a meningococcal conjugate vaccine to protect against meningococcal group C only.
This can be used to protect babies under the age of 9 months. Babies who are less than 9 months of age need three doses to be protected. Children over 9 months of age and adults should be given the ACWY vaccine, Menactra.
The NeisVac-C vaccine is funded for children aged under 9 months with a medical condition that increases their risk of invasive meningococcal disease AND is listed on the Pharmaceutical Schedule. Refer to the Immunisation Handbookfor more details.
NeisVac-C is also available as a purchased vaccine through your family doctor. The cost is approximately $98 per dose.
For more advice on vaccines and their availability, talk to your family doctor, call the free Immunisation Advisory Centre helpline 0800 IMMUNE , or see the Immunisation Handbook.
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If This Is A Brand New Vaccine How Do We Know Its Safe
Before they’re allowed to be used, all vaccines are carefully tested for safety and effectiveness. They’ve been through up to 10 years of trials in the laboratory and among volunteers.
The UK is the first country to introduce the MenB vaccine into its routine immunisation schedule for children. The vaccine is already offered to children in the UK with certain medical conditions and has also been used to contain outbreaks of MenB disease, where it proved to be both safe and effective. Over 1 million doses have already been given in 19 countries worldwide.
Common And Local Adverse Events
Conjugate meningococcal vaccines
Men-C-ACYW vaccines
Injection site reactions occur in up to 59% of vaccinees. Fever is reported in up to 5% of recipients and systemic reactions, such as headache and malaise, are reported in up to 60% of recipients.
Men-C-C vaccines
Mild reactions, including injection site reactions , occur in up to 50% of vaccine recipients. Irritability occurs in up to 80% of infants and fever in up to 9% when other vaccines were administered. Headaches and malaise occur in up to 10% of older children and adults. These reactions last no more than a few days.
Serogroup B Meningococcal vaccines
4CMenB vaccine
Solicited local and systemic reactions have been commonly reported in clinical trials and include injection site tenderness, induration, sleepiness and irritability. Higher rates of fever have been observed with simultaneous administration of 4CMenB vaccine and routine infant vaccines therefore, routine prophylactic administration of acetaminophen or separating 4CMenB vaccination from routine vaccination schedule has been proposed for preventing fever in infants and children up to three years of age.
MenB-fHBP vaccine
Solicited local and systemic reactions have been commonly reported in clinical trials and include injection site tenderness, induration and irritability.
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Age Is The Only Criteria
When choosing the dosing of the COVID-19 vaccine for kids, the only metric that matters is age, experts say.
So, your childs height or weight will not determine whether they get a microdose or the full dose.
Perlman underlined that dosing was not height or weight-dependent, unlike the painkiller paracetamol or some antibiotics.
The vaccine acts at the injection site by stimulating an immune response. This response affects the body as a whole and is not expected to be dependent on body size. In the clinical trials, the dose of the vaccine was not adjusted to childrens weight or height, he said.
How Common Is Menb Disease
MenB is now the cause of most cases of meningococcal disease in Scotland. There were 73 cases in Scotland in 2014. For 61 of these, it was possible to tell which type of infection caused them. Of the 61 cases, 42 were caused by type B .
Although this infection isn’t common, its very important to remember that MenB is extremely serious and can lead to permanent disability and death. The meningococcal bacteria can also cause local outbreaks in nurseries, schools and universities.
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Managing Fever After Meningococcal Acwy Immunisation
Common side effects following immunisation are usually mild and temporary . Specific treatment is not usually required.
If fever is present, drinking extra fluids and not overdressing can help.
Although routine use of paracetamol after vaccination is not recommended , if fever is present, paracetamol can be given. Check the label for the correct dose according to your childs weight or speak with your pharmacist, especially when giving paracetamol to children.
Conjugated Vaccine Against Haemophilus Influenzae B
This vaccine is indicated for children between 2 months and 5 years of age in the prevention of infections caused by the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b, such as meningitis, septicemia, cellulite, arthritis, epiglottitis or pneumonia, for example. This vaccine does not protect against infections caused by other types of Haemophilus influenzae or against other types of meningitis.
How to take:
- Children aged 2 a to 6 months: three doses with 1 or 2 months interval, followed by a booster 1 year after the third dose
- Children aged between 6 and 12 months: two doses with 1-or 2-month interval, followed by a booster 1 year after the second dose
- Children from 1 a to 5 years of age: single dose.
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Why Are Meningococcal Vaccines Recommended
Meningococcal disease is caused by a type of bacteria. It can lead to an infection of the bloodstream or meningitis, or both, and can be life-threatening if not quickly treated. The MenACWY vaccine is very effective at protecting against four strains of the bacteria, while the MenB vaccine protects against a fifth strain.
What Vaccines Should My Child Receive
Your child should receive all the recommended vaccines. The timing for each shot may be slightly different depending on where you live. Here is what the Canadian Paediatric Society and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization currently recommend:
- 5-in-1 or 6-in-1 vaccine, DPT-polio, or Hib vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and Hib disease, as well as hepatitis B if 6-in-1.
- Rotavirus vaccine protects infants against rotavirus, the most common cause of serious diarrhea in babies and young children.
- Pneumococcal vaccine protects against infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, including meningitis , pneumonia, and ear infections.
- Meningococcal vaccine protects against diseases caused by the meningococcus bacteria, including meningitis and septicemia, a serious blood infection.
- MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
- Varicella vaccine protects against chickenpox, a very uncomfortable and sometimes serious infection.
- Hepatitis B vaccineprotects against hepatitis B, a serious infection of the liver.
- dTap vaccine protects adolescents against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis .
- HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that cause cervical cancer, some other cancers, and genital warts.
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Vaccines For Meningococcal Disease
There are a number of vaccines available which protect against different types of meningococcal disease. There is no one vaccine that can protect against all of the types of meningococcal disease. Different vaccines are required to protect against the most common types of meningococcal disease one to protect against meningococcal group A,C,W & Y disease, and another vaccine to protect against meningococcal group B disease. There is also a separate vaccine available to protect against meningococcal group C disease.
Tetanus Toxoid Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid And Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed
- Brand Names: Adacel and Boostrix
- What its for: Booster shot for kids at 10 or 11 years of age to prevent the bacterial infections diphtheria, tetanus , and pertussis . In addition, Boostrix is approved for all individuals 10 years of age and older, . Adacel is approved for use in people ages 10 through 64 years.
- Common side effects may include: Pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, headache, and tiredness.
- Tell your healthcare provider beforehand if: The child is moderately or severely ill, has had swelling of the brain within 7 days after a previous dose of pertussis vaccine, or any allergic reaction to any vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus or pertussis diseases.
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Do Vaccines Have Side Effects
Some vaccines may cause mild, temporary side effects. This includes fever, soreness or a lump where the vaccine shot was given. Your family doctor will talk to you about possible side effects with certain vaccines.
Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about whether your child should receive a vaccine.
- Adolescents not at increased risk age 1623 years based on shared clinical decision-making:
- Bexsero: 2-dose series at least 1 month apart
- Trumenba: 2-dose series at least 6 months apart if dose 2 is administered earlier than 6 months, administer a 3rd dose at least 4 months after dose 2.
Special situations
Anatomic or functional asplenia , persistent complement component deficiency, complement inhibitor use:
- Bexsero: 2-dose series at least 1 month apart
- Trumenba: 3-dose series at 0, 12, 6 months
Bexsero and Trumenba are not interchangeable the same product should be used for all doses in a series. For MenB booster dose recommendations for groups listed under Special situations and in an outbreak setting and additional meningococcal vaccination information, see .