1. MeNZB vaccine and epidemic control: when do you stop vaccinating?
- Author
-
Nikki Turner, Belinda J. Loring, and Helen Petousis-Harris
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Time Factors ,Adolescent ,Population ,Meningococcal Vaccines ,Meningococcal vaccine ,Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup B ,Meningococcal disease ,Disease Outbreaks ,Young Adult ,Immunity ,Environmental health ,Epidemiology ,medicine ,Humans ,education ,Child ,Immunization Schedule ,education.field_of_study ,General Veterinary ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,business.industry ,Immunization Programs ,Vaccination ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,MeNZB ,Infant ,medicine.disease ,Meningococcal Infections ,Infectious Diseases ,Immunization ,Child, Preschool ,Immunology ,Molecular Medicine ,business ,New Zealand - Abstract
New Zealand developed a strain-specific group B meningococcal vaccine to control an epidemic. Following a mass vaccination campaign of three doses to the population under 20 years of age, commencing in July 2004, the vaccine continued to be offered routinely as a four-dose schedule from 6 weeks of age. There is little international data on when to cease epidemic vaccination campaigns. The decision to stop using this vaccine needed to take into account a range of factors. These included epidemiology, vaccine effectiveness and duration of immunity, vaccine coverage, concomitant use with other vaccinations being added to the infant schedule, vaccine supply and cost–benefit criteria. This paper discusses these issues, along with the potential challenges for communication to both health professionals and the public.
- Published
- 2008