New Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendations under Consideration

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be considering a new vaccination recommendation for the prevention of invasive "N. meningitidis" infection when meningococcal conjugate vaccines are licensed in the United States. The CDC has also updated the Working Group in the epidemiology of meningococcal disease. Although the rates of disease are highest among infants, the rates among adolescents and young adults are double those of the general population, and case fatality rates are 3- to 4-fold higher among teens. The risk among college freshmen living in dormitories is higher than that among dormitory residents, freshmen in general, college students in general, and the general population of persons aged 18 to 23 years. The Working Group and the ACIP also reviewed cost-effective studies. The CDC has conducted an extensive cost-effectiveness analysis, and the bottom line is that there are no cost savings to society for vaccinating adolescents against meningococcal disease. In this article, the author offers his views concerning ACIP's and CDC's stance on the cost-effectiveness of vaccinating adolescents against this disease.