Meningococal Vaccine for 2-10yrs

ACIP Recommends Meningococcal Vaccine in Children at Increased Risk

Children between the ages of 2 and 10 and at increased risk for invasive meningococcal disease should receive quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends.

Previously, the MCV4 vaccine was only approved for people aged 11 to 55 years.

As detailed in MMWR, children may be considered to be at increased risk if they:

• travel to or live in nations with hyperendemic or epidemic meningococcal disease;
• have terminal complement component deficiencies;
• suffer anatomic or functional asplenia;
• are infected with HIV (MCV4's efficacy among these children is not known);
• received the MPSV4 (polysaccharide) vaccine at least 3 years ago and are still at increased risk.

The vaccine may also be used to control outbreaks of meningococcal disease in children.

Physician's First Watch for December 7, 2007
David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief