Meningococcal Vaccine for Adolescents and College Freshmen
Posted on: Wednesday, 21 September 2005, 03:01 CDT
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends routine vaccination with Menactra, the newly licensed meningococcal conjugate vaccine for children ages 11 to 12, for previously unvaccinated adolescents at high school entry at about age 15, and for college freshmen living in dormitories.
The new recommendation is designed to help achieve vaccination among those at highest risk for meningococcal disease, which strikes up to 3,000 Americans, killing 300 people every year. Ten to 12 percent of people with meningococcal disease die, and among survivors, up to 15 percent may suffer long-term permanent disabilities including hearing loss, limb amputation, or brain damage.
The disease often begins with symptoms that can be mistaken for the flu and other common illnesses. But meningococcal disease is particularly dangerous because it progresses rapidly and can kill within hours.
Menactra should offer longer protection than previous vaccines. It is given in a single shot, and the most common reaction is a sore arm. But it does not protect people against meningococcal disease caused by serogroup B bacteria, which causes one-third of meningococcal cases in the United States.
Menactra was licensed by the FDA in January 2005 for use in people ages 11 to 55. The vaccine is manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, a division of Parisbased Sanofi-Aventis. Visit www.cdc. gov/ncidod/ dbmd/diseaseinfo/meningococcal_g.htm for more information.
Copyright Superintendent of Documents Sep/Oct 2005
Source: FDA Consumer
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