How well does the meningitis C vaccine work?
Publication Date:09/06/2008
Some children may get less protection than others from the meningitis C vaccine, new research has found. Although there is no immediate risk, in the future children may need a booster dose of the vaccine after the age of 10.
What do we know already?
Meningitis is a serious illness caused by swelling in the lining of the brain and spinal cord. If it's not spotted and treated quickly it can be fatal.
Meningitis can be caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi. One type of bacteria that causes meningitis is called meningococcus. If these bacteria get into your blood it can also cause septicaemia, or blood poisoning.
There are lots of different kinds of meningococcal bacteria. Most meningococcal disease is caused by groups called A, B, C, W-135, and Y.
You can get meningitis or septicaemia on their own. Or you can get both at the same time. Of the two diseases, septicaemia is the most dangerous.
Babies and young children under 2 are most likely to be affected by meningococcal disease, followed by teenagers and young people between 15 and 24.
Since 1999, a vaccine to prevent group C meningococcal meningitis has been part of the usual childhood immunisations in the UK. There was also a catch-up campaign in 1999-2000, when everyone aged 1 to 18 got the vaccine.
Before 1999 about 80 children died every year from meningitis C in England. But vaccination has brought this number down dramatically.
After you are vaccinated against a disease, your body makes chemicals, called antibodies, which would attack the virus or bacteria that caused it if these ever entered your body. Doctors can measure the amount of antibodies in your blood, to check that you have enough antibodies to destroy the disease before it makes you ill.
Previous research has found that babies and very young children lose antibodies against meningitis C as they get older. Babies currently receive two doses of vaccine at three and four months and a booster at 12 months.
In the new study, researchers looked at how far the age of older children affects the protection offered by the jab.
What does the new study say?
The new study found that most children (88%) who were 10 or older when they had the vaccine were still protected by it 5 years later. But only 76% of those who got the vaccine when they were aged 6 to 9 remained protected 5 years later.
This means that more than 1 in 5 children who are now aged 11 to 13 may not be protected against meningitis C.
The researchers think that a child's immune system matures at around the age of 10. Before that age it may not be developed enough to make long-lasting antibodies.
Where does the study come from?
The study was done by researchers from the University of Oxford and from the government's Health Protection Agency in Manchester. It was published in a medical journal called the BMJ, the British Medical Journal.
How reliable are the findings?
This was a good study that looked at the levels of antibodies to meningitis C in almost 1,000 children 5 years after they had the vaccine. The children were aged between 6 and 15 when they had the vaccine.
The best way to see if a vaccine works is to monitor how many vaccinated children get the disease. But this isn't possible with meningococcal disease because it is quite rare. So looking at levels of antibodies is a good alternative.
What does this mean for me?
This study suggests that children may need a second dose of meningitis C vaccine as they approach the teenage years to make sure they are sufficiently protected against the disease.
But for the time being the government has said there is no need to introduce an extra vaccine for teenagers. Figures show there were no deaths in children under 19 from meningitis C in England last year. And because most children are well protected against meningitis C there is very little of the disease circulating. This means there's a very low chance that anyone will become infected with it.
For the moment, the government says that it's important to monitor what is happening.
What should I do now?
At the moment there's nothing you need to do. However, it's always a good idea to make sure that your children's vaccines are up to date.
It's important to know the symptoms of meningitis and to make sure children who are going away to college know them too. Early treatment with antibiotics is important.
The tell-tale sign of meningitis is a rash that doesn't go away when you press a glass over it. Other symptoms include a high temperature, stiff neck, bad headache, nausea and difficulty looking at bright lights. Septicaemia causes a similar rash, painful joints and muscles, rapid breathing, cold hands and feet and shivering.
Babies and children under 2 may be irritable and sleepy with a high temperature, bulging soft spot on their head (fontanelle), poor feeding, vomiting and seizures.
Call an ambulance immediately or take your child to the nearest emergency department if you're worried your child could have meningitis or septicaemia.
From:
Snape MD, Kelly DF, Lewis S, et al. Seroprotection against serogroup C meningococcal disease in adolescents in the United Kingdom: observational study. BMJ. Published online 5 June 2008.
To learn more see our information on meningococcal disease.
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© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
