The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a meningococcal conjugate vaccine for use among persons aged 2 to 55 years. Menactra® vaccine is the first quadrivalent conjugate vaccine licensed in the U.S. for the prevention of meningococcal disease. Menactra® vaccine is designed to offer protection against four serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis (A, C, Y, W-135), which account for approximately 70 percent of cases in the United States. 

Conjugate vaccines have been shown to stimulate more powerful immune responses. In general, the benefits of a successful conjugate vaccine include long-term immunity without the need for revaccination as well as decreased carriage of meningococcal bacteria among adolescents, preventing the spread of the disease. 

Before Menactra®, a polysaccharide vaccine called Menomune® – that provides protection against four of the five disease strains for three to five years – had been quite effective in reducing rates of the disease among certain populations. 

No vaccine currently is available in the U.S. to protect against serogroup B, though one is available in New Zealand, and in Norway and Cuba, scientists are conducting studies of vaccines against the B serogroup. Additionally, there has been promising research sponsored by a parent group in Scotland that claims to have made a significant breakthrough in solving the serogroup B problem in that country.

As with all vaccines, there can be minor reactions, including pain and redness at the injection site or a mild fever, which typically last for one to two days.

To find out if a meningococcal vaccination is right for your family, please contact your health care provider.

CDC Recommendations on Vaccination
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on national vaccination policy, met in June 2007 and developed recommendations calling for meningococcal disease immunization for all adolescents11-18 years of age.