When I take Willow to the Pediatrician and she gets any kind of shots, the doctor gives us a pamphlet with information on the shots. So, since everyone is all up in arms about the links between vaccinations and things like autism, I thought I'd take an in-depth look at the vaccinations. Next in line is the Meningococcal Disease (Meningitis) Vaccination.
The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccinations and Immunizations section has a recommended immunization schedule that you can download. They also have a lot of great information for each and every vaccination so this is where I will start in my search for information. Here is their pamphlet on the Meningococcal Disease (Meningitis).
The Meningococcal Disease (Meningitis) Vaccination is given in one dose. A dose of MCV4 is recommended for children and adolescents 11 through 18 years of age.
This dose is normally given during the routine preadolescent immunization visit (at 11 to 12 years of age). But those who did not get the vaccine during this visit should get it at the earliest opportunity.
MCV4 is the preferred vaccine for people 2 through 55 years of age in these risk groups. MPSV4 can be used if MCV4 is not available and for adults over 55.
First, what exactly is Meningococcal Disease (Meningitis)?
Meningococcal disease describes infections caused by Neisseria meningitidis (also termed meningococcus). It carries a high mortality rate if untreated. Whilst best known as a cause of meningitis, wide spread blood infection (sepsis) is more damaging and dangerous. Meningitis and Meningococcal septicemia are major causes of illness, death and disability in both developed and under developed countries worldwide.
The diseases impact on public health is of ongoing interest and importance to microbiologists, epidemiologists, clinicians, and physicians and the paradox of the host/pathogen interaction is not fully understood. The pathogen originates harmlessly in a large number of the general population, but thereafter can invade the blood stream and the brain, causing serious illness. Over the past few years, experts have made an intensive effort to understand specific aspects of meningococcal biology and host interactions, however the development of improved treatments and effective vaccines will depend on novel efforts by workers in many different fields.
While Meningococcal disease is not as contagious as the common cold (which is spread through casual contact), it can be transmitted through saliva and occasionally through close, prolonged general contact with an infected person.
The incubation period ranges from 1 to 10 days after exposure. The period of communicability varies, but usually lasts less than 24 hours after onset of appropriate antibiotic treatment. Routine vaccination with meningococcal tetravalent conjugate vaccine (MCV4) is recommended for all persons aged 11-18 years for protection against Serogroups A, C, Y and W135. Persons aged 11-12 years should be routinely vaccinated at the 11-12 years health-care visit as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Routine vaccination is also recommended for persons aged 2-10 years and 19-55 years who are at increased risk for meningococcal disease:
Symptoms of Meningitis
It's easy to mistake the early signs and symptoms of meningitis for the flu (influenza). Meningitis symptoms may develop over a period of one or two days and typically include:
Earlier signs and symptoms that may suggest a serious infection, although not necessarily meningitis, include:
Signs in newborns
Newborns and young infants may not have the classic signs and symptoms of headache and stiff neck. Instead, signs and symptoms of meningitis in this age group may include:
Infants with meningitis may be difficult to comfort, and may even cry harder when picked up.
If you or your child has bacterial meningitis, delaying treatment increases the risk of permanent brain damage. In addition, bacterial meningitis can prove fatal in a matter of days. Seek medical care right away if you or anyone in your family has any signs or symptoms.
Now, on to the vaccination itself.
There are two kinds of meningococcal vaccine in the U.S.:
Both vaccines can prevent 4 types of meningococcal disease, including 2 of the 3 types most common in the United States and a type that causes epidemics in Africa. Meningococcal vaccines cannot prevent all types of the disease. But they do protect many people who might become sick if they didn’t get the vaccine.
Both vaccines work well, and protect about 90% of people who get them. MCV4 is expected to give better, longer-lasting protection.
MCV4 should also be better at preventing the disease from spreading from person to person.
Mild Problems
Severe problems
In keeping with tradition, I looked for evidence of this vaccination causing any kind of neurological disorder and found none.
So, is the Meningococcal vaccine one of the ones people associate with Autism or some other kind of neurological disorder? Actually, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement regarding the association of Guillian-Barre Syndrome with patients who received the Meningococcal Vaccination.
"As of February 25, 2008, more than 15 million doses of Menactra have been distributed, and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has received 26 confirmed case reports of GBS within 6 weeks of receipt of MCV4 Menactra meningococcal vaccination. Twenty-four people, 11 to 19 years of age, experienced symptoms within 6 weeks after receiving Menactra. Two other reports of GBS among people aged 20 years and older also have been confirmed. The symptom onset was 2 to 33 days after vaccination. The timing and onset of neurological symptoms are reasons to gather further information.
"While this data suggests a small increased risk of GBS following Menactra immunization, there are a number of limitations in the data. The findings should be viewed with caution until they can be studied further and clarified. At this time, CDC is unable to determine if Menactra increases a risk of GBS in people who receive the vaccine. GBS is a rare illness, and the expected background population rates of GBS are not known precisely. An ongoing known risk for serious meningococcal disease exists. Therefore, CDC recommends continuation of current vaccination strategies.
"CDC recommends that adolescents and their caregivers be informed of this ongoing investigation as part of the consent process for vaccination with MCV4."
I found an awesome website that lists the package inserts and ingredients for all available vaccinations (e.g. provided by MERK or GlaxoSmithKline). It's called the World Association for Vaccine Education. You can find their page on the Meningococcal Vaccine here.
More Information:
And since there are those people that are concerned about links of vaccinations to neurological disorders and the like I thought I'd include some of their links as well:
Generation Rescue is an international movement of scientists, physicians and parent-volunteers researching the causes and treatments for autism and mentoring thousands of families in recovering their children from autism.
The Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute was established in 1996 to provide parents and other concerned people with educational resources enabling them to make more informed vaccine decisions. Thinktwice encourages an uncensored exchange of vaccine information, and supports every family's right to accept or reject vaccines. Thinktwice's page on Meningococcus can be found here but doesn't have a whole lot of information.
Vaccine Information is another good place for parents to check. Here is their page on Meningitis.
I asked my pediatrician if she had a lot of parents who were choosing to NOT vaccinate their children. She said she could count on one hand the total number and that she, of course, recommends AGAINST not vaccinating your children.
Previously:
Hepatitis B Vaccination Information
Rotavirus Vaccination Information
Diphtheria Vaccination Information
Tetanus Vaccination Information
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccination
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Vaccination Information
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination Information
Polio Vaccination Information
Influenza (Flu) Vaccination Information
Measles Vaccination Information
Mumps Vaccination Information
Rubella Vaccination Information
Varicilla (Chickenpox) Vaccination Information
Hepatitis A Vaccination Information
I hope you have enjoyed this series. I know I have enjoyed researching the information and putting all the posts together for my readers!
March 30, 2009
About Vaccination - Meningococcal Disease (Meningitis)
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