What kind of information about MenB vaccine should be considered with a patient when conducting shared clinical decision-making?

To assist with the shared clinical decision-making around the option to vaccinate against meningococcal serogroup B disease and the timing of vaccination, CDC has provided some specific considerations about the disease and the vaccine that the patient and provider may weigh:

• Serious nature of invasive meningococcal serogroup B infection, with a high risk of death and permanent complications
• Low level of serogroup B disease in the United States, with an average of 34 cases each year among people age 16 through 23 years between 2015 and 2018, declining to 17 cases in 2022.
• Increased risk among college students, especially those who are freshmen, attending a 4-year university, living in on-campus housing, or participating in sorority and fraternity life
• Protection of MenB vaccine against most strains of meningococcal serogroup B bacteria
• Estimated relatively short duration of MenB vaccine protection, with antibody levels waning within 1–2 years of completing the primary series; however, if a booster is indicated (e.g., during an outbreak) antibody titers rise in one to two weeks after booster dose administration
• Evidence to date suggests no impact of MenB vaccine on meningococcal B carriage (may protect an individual from invasive disease but is unlikely to impact transmission of the bacteria to others)