Meningococcal disease vaccination
Meningococcal disease is serious and can sometimes cause death or permanent disability such as deafness or disfigurement.
If you suspect meningococcal disease or have any other concerns, contact your doctor without delay, or call Healthline free on 0800 611 116 at any hour of the day or night, even if you have already been seen by a health professional.
Vaccines for Meningococcal disease
Information on meningococcal A, C, Y and W135 vaccination is provided below. For more advice on meningococcal vaccines and their availability, talk to your family doctor, call the free Immunisation Advisory Centre helpline 0800 IMMUNE (0800 466 863), or see the Immunisation Handbook (2011).
Several vaccines are available which protect against different strains of meningococcal disease. These vaccines are not part of the National Immunisation Schedule. Apart from some people at high risk (eg without spleens), meningococcal vaccines are not publicly funded, but they are available for private purchase through general practices if people want them.
There are two main types of meningococcal vaccine available in New Zealand:
- Quadrivalent polysaccharide meningococcal vaccines, which protect against groups A, C, Y, and W135 (available for use over the age of two).
- Separate conjugate meningococcal C vaccines, which protect against group C meningococcal bacteria alone.
The quadrivalent vaccine is recommended and free for the following groups:
- Adults before or after a splenectomy (an operation to partly or completely remove the spleen)
- Children before or after a splenectomy or with functional asplenia (where the spleen does not function, or only functions minimally)
The quadrivalent vaccine is also recommended, but not funded, for the following groups:
- Young adults entering hostel type accommodation, particularly in their first year (meningococcal C conjugate vaccine can also be used)
- People with sickle cell anaemia
- People with terminal complement deficiencies
- People with HIV infection
- Military recruits
- Microbiologists and laboratory workers who could be exposed to meningococcal bacteria isolates
- Travellers to regions where this disease is common – in particular people participating in the Hajj, and people travelling to sub-Saharan Africa (the so-called ‘Meningitis Belt’).
Meningococcal immunisation may also be recommended by local health authorities for public health purposes.
The quadrivalent polysaccharide vaccines are approved for use in those aged over two years of age. The initial course of immunisation requires one dose of the vaccine. Immunity from the polysaccharide vaccine lasts approximately three years, but may be shorter in young children, and may be longer for some people.
The conjugate meningococcal C vaccines can be used for children aged under two years. The initial course of immunisation requires one dose for children aged over 12 months and for adults, or three doses for infants younger than 12 months. The minimum age for the first dose of meningococcal vaccine and the interval between vaccine doses may vary depending on which vaccine is used. The duration of immunity from the conjugate vaccines is currently unknown. A booster dose following the initial course in infants may be needed to sustain longer-term immunity.
Meningococcal B
There are currently no vaccines available in New Zealand that protect against meningococcal B. The MeNZB™ vaccine was developed to curb an epidemic of a particular strain of group B meningococcal disease. This vaccine was offered to all New Zealand babies, children and teenagers from 2004 to 2008. It’s important to note that this vaccine only protected against the strain that was causing the epidemic – not any other type or strain of meningococcal disease. The MeNZB™ vaccine is no longer on New Zealand’s Immunisation Schedule. The rates of disease caused by this particular strain fell to a level where experts advised that offering it routinely was no longer necessary.
Possible reactions associated with the vaccine
Local reactions to the polysaccharide vaccine are usually mild, and can include redness, and swelling and pain at the injection site and the local lymph glands. Fever and chills occur in approximately two percent of young children.
Common reactions to the conjugate vaccine can include pain, redness and swelling at the site of injection, fever, irritability, decreased appetite and headaches.
Significant adverse reactions are rare.
Related areas
Page last updated: 01 December 2011
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