Meningitis: who to vaccinate?

Last year, more than three-quarters of a million people signed a petition to widen the age group immunised against the most common strain of meningitis in young children. So why not vaccinate more kids? Martin Maiden explains the complexities of the fight against meningococcus

The Biologist 63(5) p24-27

Meningitis vaccines are currently at the heart of government policy and national debate. Last year, two novel vaccines were introduced in the UK targeting the most common meningitis germ, Neisseria meningitidis, otherwise known as meningococcus.

One of these vaccines was introduced in response to an alarming increase in a severe form of the disease caused by meningococci of a serogroup known as MenW, especially in teenagers. The other vaccine, called Bexsero, is designed to combat serogroup B meningococci, or MenB, currently the most common cause of meningococcal disease in infants and young children.

The time taken to introduce the MenB vaccine into the infant immunisation schedule, while cost-effectiveness calculations and negotiations on price took place, was controversial. This controversy continued after implementation, with a social media campaign and petition calling for a wider age group to be immunised attracting 823,346 signatures....

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