Revised Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to Vaccinate All Persons Aged 11--18 Years with Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine

In January 2005, a quadrivalent meningococcal polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine (MCV4) (Menactra™, Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., Swiftwater, Pennsylvania) was licensed for use among persons aged 11--55 years. In May 2005, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended routine vaccination with 1 dose of MCV4 for persons aged 11--12 years, persons entering high school (i.e., at approximately age 15 years) if not previously vaccinated with MCV4, and other persons at increased risk for meningococcal disease, including college freshmen living in dormitories (1). Background information regarding meningococcal disease and the vaccine, including a discussion of duration of protection and use of the vaccine for outbreak control, has been published previously (1).

In June 2007, ACIP revised its recommendation to include routine vaccination of all persons aged 11--18 years with 1 dose of MCV4 at the earliest opportunity. Persons aged 11--12 years should be routinely vaccinated at the 11--12 years health-care visit as recommended by ACIP (2). ACIP continues to recommend routine vaccination for persons aged 19--55 years who are at increased risk for meningococcal disease: college freshmen living in dormitories, microbiologists routinely exposed to isolates of Neisseria meningitidis, military recruits, travelers to or residents of countries in which N. meningitidis meningitis is hyperendemic or epidemic, persons with terminal complement component deficiencies, and persons with anatomic or functional asplenia.