Ask the Experts: Meningococcal B: For People with Risk Factors

Results (13)

Since the patient is asplenic, the second dose of the primary series of MenACWY should be given at least 8 weeks after the first dose. He will need a dose of MenACWY every 5 years for the rest of his life. The series of MenB (whether Trumenba or Bexsero) should be completed. The first booster dose of MenB will be due one year after completion of the primary series and subsequent booster doses are recommended every 2–3 years for the rest of his life. The same MenB vaccine should be used for all doses in the series, including booster doses. People who receive Trumenba brand MenB vaccine have an option to receive MenABCWY (Penbraya, Pfizer) when both MenACWY and MenB vaccines are due at the same visit, as long as doses of Penbraya are spread out by at least 6 months. The patient has already received the one dose of PCV15 recommended for adults, so no further doses are needed. He also has properly received his first dose of PPSV at least 8 weeks after the dose of PCV15. No additional doses of pneumococcal vaccination are recommended at this time. Based on the patient’s age, only one dose of Hib vaccine is recommended, so no further doses are needed. The patient should receive influenza vaccine annually.

Any of these vaccines can be given at the same appointment, except for PCV15 and PPSV23.

Last reviewed: April 10, 2024

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine, MenACWY, and meningococcal B vaccine should be given at least 14 days before a scheduled splenectomy, if possible. This is done so the patient is protected from these diseases before the spleen is removed; however, doses given during the 14 days before surgery also can be counted as valid. If the doses cannot be given prior to the splenectomy, they should be given as soon as the patient’s condition has stabilized after surgery. If PCV20 is given, pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) is not needed; if PCV15 is given, administer a dose of PPSV23 at least 8 weeks after the dose of PCV15 if the patient is age 2 years or older.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

Yes. The 2020 ACIP recommendations for MenB include a booster dose schedule for MenB vaccination of people at high risk for meningococcal serogroup B disease. The first booster dose is recommended one year after completion of the primary series, with a subsequent booster dose administered every 2–3 years thereafter, as long as risk remains. Because MenB vaccine brands are not interchangeable, all doses, including booster doses, should be of the same MenB brand. If the brand of the primary series is not known or not available, CDC recommends restarting the primary series with the available product.

Penbraya (MenABCWY, Pfizer) contains MenB-Fhbp (Trumenba) and is given as two doses, 6 months apart, when vaccination against all 5 serogroups is needed. For this 11-year-old child at increased risk of meningococcal disease, Penbraya may be used for MenACWY and MenB (Trumenba) doses (including booster doses) if both vaccines would be given on the same clinic day and at least 6 months have elapsed since the most recent Penbraya dose.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

Eculizumab (Soliris) and related long-acting compounds, such as ravulizumab (Ultomiris), inhibit the terminal complement pathway. People with persistent complement component deficiency due to an immune system disorder or use of a complement inhibitor are at increased risk for meningococcal disease even if fully vaccinated. This patient should be given a 2-dose primary series of MenACWY vaccine (2 doses separated by at least 8 weeks) and a 2- or 3-dose series (depending on brand) of MenB vaccine. The patient should receive regular booster doses of MenACWY and MenB as long as he remains at risk: a booster dose of MenACWY every 5 years and a booster dose of MenB one year after completion of the primary series, followed by a booster dose of MenB every 2–3 years thereafter.

Penbraya (MenABCWY, Pfizer) contains MenB-Fhbp (Trumenba) and is given as two doses, 6 months apart, when vaccination against all 5 serogroups is needed. For people age 10 years or older at increased risk of meningococcal disease, like this patient, Penbraya may be used for MenACWY and MenB (Trumenba) doses (including booster doses) if both vaccines would be given on the same clinic day and at least 6 months have elapsed since most recent Penbraya dose.

Because patients treated with complement inhibitors can develop invasive meningococcal disease despite vaccination, clinicians using these products also may consider antimicrobial prophylaxis for the duration of complement inhibitor therapy.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

Recommendations to separate MenACWY and PCV only applied to MenACWY-D (Menactra, Sanofi), which is no longer available in the United States. You may administer PCV vaccines and MenQuadfi, Menveo, or Penbraya (if this MenABCWY is indicated) at the same time. A 10-year-old with persistent complement component deficiency also should be vaccinated against MenB with an appropriate vaccine.

As long as the child remains at high risk of meningococcal disease due to complement inhibitor use, booster doses of both MenACWY and MenB are recommended. A MenACWY booster dose should be given every 5 years and a MenB booster dose should be given one year after the completion of the primary series, followed by a booster dose every 2–3 years thereafter.

Because patients treated with complement inhibitors can develop invasive meningococcal disease despite vaccination, clinicians using Ultomiris or other complement inhibitors also may consider antimicrobial prophylaxis for the duration of complement inhibitor therapy.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

Yes. Studies from the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom have shown that people with HIV infection have a risk of invasive meningococcal disease that is 11–24 times higher than the general population. In the United States, this excess risk is specifically for serogroups C, W, and Y. ACIP recommends routine MenACWY vaccination of all HIV-infected people 2 months of age and older. Children younger than age 2 years should be vaccinated using a multidose schedule based upon age (see the Immunize.org document “Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor,” available at www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2018.pdf for details).

People age 2 years and older with HIV infection who have not been previously vaccinated should receive a 2-dose primary series of MenACWY (doses separated by at least 8 weeks). People with HIV infection who have previously received one dose of MenACWY should receive a second dose at the earliest opportunity (at least 8 weeks after the previous dose) and then receive booster doses at the appropriate intervals. ACIP does not recommend routine meningococcal serogroup B vaccination of people with HIV infection: MenB may be given based upon shared clinical decision-making to people with HIV who are age 16 through 23 years old, preferably between ages 16 and 18 years.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

Either Trumenba (MenB-FHbp) or the Bexsero MenB vaccine brand (MenB-4C) may be used for people with HIV infection. If Trumenba is administered, the CDC meningococcal subject matter experts recommend that the 3-dose schedule should be used. People with HIV infection do not appear to be at higher risk for meningococcal serogroup B disease, but because of their HIV infection they might not respond to the vaccine as well, and the 3-dose schedule is preferred. When Bexsero is used, the schedule is 2 doses, regardless of risk status. Booster doses of MenB are not recommended for people with HIV in the absence of another indication for MenB vaccination.

Penbraya (MenABCWY, Pfizer) is an option for people age 10 years and older only when both MenACWY and MenB (Trumenba) vaccines are due at the same visit and at least 6 months have elapsed since the most recent dose of Penbraya. An adolescent with HIV should receive a 2-dose primary MenACWY series (with the doses given 8 weeks apart), followed by MenACWY booster doses every 5 years. If this teen needs the MenACWY primary series vaccination and also chooses to receive the 3-dose Trumenba schedule (0, 1-2 months, 6 months), Penbraya may only be used for one of the doses because dose 2 in the MenACWY primary series and dose 2 of the Trumenba 3-dose primary series are both due only 8 weeks after dose 1.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

Use of either brand of MenB in persons younger than age 10 years is off-label in the U.S. There is no ACIP recommendation for use of this vaccine for this age group.

Bexsero (MenB-4C) has been studied among infants and is approved for infants by the European Medicines Agency (the European version of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration). It is routinely recommended for infants in the United Kingdom (see www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/meningitis-b-vaccine.aspx for details). A clinician may choose to use a vaccine off-label if, in their opinion, the benefit of the vaccine exceeds the risk from the vaccine.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

ACIP recommends that microbiologists who work with meningococcal isolates in a laboratory receive both MenB and MenACWY vaccines. MenB can be given at the same time as any other vaccine. You can administer either two doses of Bexsero (MenB-4C) 4 weeks apart, or three doses of Trumenba (MenB-FHbp) on a 0-, 1–2-, and 6-month schedule.

Because protective antibody levels begin to wane within 1–2 years after completing the primary series, ACIP recommends a booster dose of MenB one year after completing the primary series, followed by a booster dose every 2–3 years thereafter, as long as risk remains. MenB vaccine brands work differently and are not interchangeable. All doses, including booster doses, should be of the same type (either MenB-FHbp or MenB-4C). If the primary series type is not known or is not available, restart the primary series with the available brand.

Microbiologists may receive a dose of MenABCWY (Penbraya, Pfizer) as an alternative to separate administration of MenACWY and MenB (MenB-FHbp, Trumenba) when both vaccines would be given on the same clinic day and at least 6 months have elapsed since most recent Penbraya dose.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

MenB is not specifically recommended for immunosuppressed people. However, after discussing the pros and cons of vaccination (also known as shared clinical decision-making), people age 16 through 23 years who are not at increased risk may receive routine MenB vaccination with either a 2-dose series of Bexsero (MenB-4C) 4 weeks apart, or a 2-dose series of Trumenba (MenB-FHbp) 6 months apart. Penbraya (MenABCWY, Pfizer) is also an option if both Trumenba and MenACWY vaccines are due at the same visit and it has been at least 6 months since the most recent dose of Penbraya.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

ACIP does not recommend routine MenB vaccination for travel to countries in sub-Saharan Africa or to other countries for which MenACWY vaccine is recommended. Meningococcal disease in these areas is generally not caused by serogroup B.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

Recommendations to separate MenACWY and PCV only apply to one of the three MenACWY vaccines, MenACWY-D (Menactra), and also only apply to individuals with functional or anatomic asplenia or HIV infection. So, you do may administer the recommended vaccines at the same time. A 10-year-old with persistent complement component deficiency also should receive a 2- or 3-dose series (depending on brand) of MenB vaccine.

As long as the child remains at high risk of meningococcal disease due to complement inhibitor use, booster doses of both MenACWY and MenB are recommended. A MenACWY booster dose should be given every 5 years and a MenB booster dose should be given one year after the completion of the primary series, followed by a booster dose every 2–3 years thereafter.

Because patients treated with complement inhibitors can develop invasive meningococcal disease despite vaccination, clinicians using Soliris or Ultomiris also may consider antimicrobial prophylaxis for the duration of complement inhibitor therapy.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

Yes. Studies from the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom have shown that people with HIV infection have a risk of invasive meningococcal disease that is 11–24 times higher than the general population. In the United States, this excess risk is specifically for serogroups C, W, and Y. ACIP recommends routine MenACWY vaccination of all HIV-infected people 2 months of age and older. Children younger than age 2 years should be vaccinated using a multidose schedule based upon age (see the Immunize.org document “Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine Recommendations by Age and Risk Factor,” available at www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2018.pdf for details).

People age 2 years and older with HIV infection who have not been previously vaccinated should receive a 2-dose primary series of MenACWY (doses separated by at least 8 weeks). People with HIV infection who have previously received one dose of MenACWY should receive a second dose at the earliest opportunity (at least 8 weeks after the previous dose) and then receive booster doses at the appropriate intervals (see Booster Doses below). ACIP does not recommend routine meningococcal serogroup B vaccination of people with HIV infection.

Last reviewed: March 24, 2024

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