| Technically Speaking |
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| A Monthly Column by Deborah Wexler, MD |
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| IAC Executive Director Dr. Deborah Wexler writes
Technically Speaking, a column featured in each issue of
Vaccine Update for Healthcare Professionals,
the monthly e-newsletter from the Vaccine Education Center
(VEC) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Technically Speaking columns cover practical topics in
immunization delivery such as vaccine administration
techniques, storage and handling, contraindications and
precautions, and scheduling. |
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Subscribe to VEC's
Vaccine Update for Healthcare Professionals to stay up to date
on vaccine-related issues, including reviews of recently
published journal articles, media recaps, and announcements
about new resources and webinars. To subscribe, visit the
Vaccine Update Newsletter Sign-up Form |
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archive of past Technically Speaking columns is also available through links on the right side of this web page. |
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| TECHNICALLY SPEAKING |
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| ACIP Updates Recommendations on the Use of MenACWY and MenB Vaccines |
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| Published October 2020 |
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The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice's (ACIP's) updated
guidance for meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and Y vaccine
(MenACWY) and meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (MenB) was recently
published in the MMWR Recommendations and Reports. This
publication,
Meningococcal Vaccination: Recommendations of the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2020,
replaces and consolidates all previously published ACIP
meningococcal vaccine recommendations. The descriptive terminology
"shared clinical decision-making” has been added for the 2-dose
MenB vaccination series in persons age 16–23 years. The guidance
also contains new recommendations for off-label administration of
booster doses of MenB for persons at increased risk for serogroup B
meningococcal disease, including microbiologists and people age
>10
years with persistent complement deficiencies, complement inhibitor
use, or anatomic or functional asplenia. Booster doses are recommended one year following completion of a MenB primary series
followed by MenB booster doses every 2–3 years thereafter. A
one-time booster dose also is recommended for persons at increased
risk during an outbreak. A summary (from Box 1, found on page 3 of the publication) of the
ACIP recommendations for MenACWY and MenB vaccines is reprinted
below.
ACIP recommends MenACWY vaccination for the following
groups:
- Routine vaccination for adolescents age 11 or 12 years, with a
booster dose at age 16 years.
- Routine vaccination of persons age >2 months at increased risk
for meningococcal disease (dosing schedule varies by age and
indication, and interval for booster dose varies by age at time of
previous vaccination):
- Persons with certain medical conditions including anatomic or
functional asplenia, complement component deficiencies (e.g., C3,
C5–C9, properdin, factor H, or factor D), complement inhibitor
(e.g., eculizumab [Soliris] or ravulizumab [Ultomiris]) use, or
human immunodeficiency virus infection.
- Microbiologists with routine exposure to Neisseria meningitidis
isolates.
- Persons at increased risk during an outbreak (e.g., in community
or organizational settings, and among men who have sex with men [MSM]).
- Persons who travel to or live in countries in which meningococcal
disease is hyperendemic or epidemic.
- Unvaccinated or undervaccinated first-year college students
living in residence halls.
- Military recruits.
- Booster doses for previously vaccinated persons who become or
remain at increased risk.
ACIP recommends MenB vaccination for the following groups:
- Routine vaccination of persons age >10 years at increased risk
for meningococcal disease (dosing schedule varies by vaccine brand;
boosters should be administered at 1 year after primary series
completion, then every 2–3 years thereafter):
- Persons with certain medical conditions, such as anatomic or
functional asplenia, complement component deficiencies, or
complement inhibitor use.
- Microbiologists with routine exposure to Neisseria meningitidis
isolates.
- Persons at increased risk during an outbreak (e.g., in community
or organizational settings, and among MSM).
- Vaccination of adolescents and young adults age 16–23 years with
a 2-dose MenB series on the basis of shared clinical
decision-making. The preferred age for MenB vaccination is 16–18
years. Booster doses are not recommended unless the person becomes
at increased risk for meningococcal disease.
- Booster doses for previously vaccinated persons who become or
remain at increased risk.
Additional Resources
From CDC
From IAC
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| This page was updated on
November 1, 2020. |
| This page was reviewed on
October 23, 2020 |
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ACIP Recommendations
Vaccine Information Statements 
