Meningococcal Vaccine

Release time : 01/18/2025 18:13:27

In the case of meningitis, vaccination against meningitis is the most effective preventive method. When should the meningitis vaccine be administered? What role does it play? What are its side effects? And what are some precautions to take when administering the vaccine? These are all essential questions we must understand when vaccinating our child against meningitis.

The meningitis vaccine, essentially the routine Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine for childhood, is specifically designed to protect against Group A bacteria. It does not provide immunity against other groups.

There are 13 groups of meningococci, namely A, B, C, D, X, Y, Z, E, H, I, K, L and W.

Therefore, if you go abroad or encounter other cerebrospinal meningitis strains in the local area, it is important to promptly receive vaccinations.

Since the widespread use of the BCG vaccine and the effective application of anti-tuberculosis drugs, the incidence of this disease has significantly decreased compared to the past, and the prognosis has greatly improved. However, if the diagnosis is not timely or treatment is improper, the mortality rate and the incidence of sequelae remain high. Therefore, early diagnosis and rational treatment are key to improving the prognosis of this disease.

The vaccines against meningitis in China include cerebrospinal fluid carrier vaccine and encephalitis virus vaccine. The A group of cerebrospinal fluid carrier vaccine should be given two doses, each three months apart for children over six months old.

The encephalitis B vaccine should be administered to children at the age of 8 months.

Three-year-old and six-year-old each receive one dose of A+C Streptococcal vaccine.

The role of meningitis vaccine is to help children with insufficient resistance to prevent the outbreak of meningococcal meningitis.

Generally speaking, the recommended vaccination age group for influenza is from 2 years old to 15 years old. However, if there is a meningococcal epidemic in the area, the vaccination can be extended to all individuals over 6 months of age.

Children aged 6 months to 2 years old, receive two doses of A group Streptococcal Pneumoniae vaccine, with a 3-month interval between the first and second doses.

Children aged 2 and 5 years old should receive an additional dose of the meningococcal A+C vaccine.

Recommendations for the vaccination of children aged 6 to 15 years with the A+C group meningococcal vaccine.

Following administration of meningococcal vaccine, protective antibodies can be detected in the serum 7 to 10 days post-injection, peaking at 2 weeks to 4 weeks.

According to this pattern, vaccinations should be administered in advance of the cerebrospinal meningitis peak season.

Encephalitis is divided into cerebrospinal meningitis, encephalitis B, cryptococcal encephalitis, and fungal encephalitis.

Generally, cerebrospinal meningitis occurs during the winter and spring seasons, while Japanese encephalitis fever is more common in the summer and autumn. Typically, only cerebrospinal meningitis vaccine and Japanese encephalitis vaccine are available, but neither provides lifelong immunity.

The bacteremia (meningitis) is mainly occurring in winter and spring, February to April is the peak period.

Staphylococcus aureus is present in the secretions of the nasopharynx and can be spread through airborne droplets via speaking, coughing, sneezing, etc. Close contact with carriers, such as holding or breastfeeding, is an important route for infections in infants under two years old.

People who contract meningococcal meningitis often do not exhibit symptoms and remain asymptomatic carriers, with only less than 1% of individuals experiencing clinical symptoms.

Patients primarily include children under the age of 15 years, especially those aged 6 months to 2 years, are particularly prone to infection.

This disease manifests with high fever, headache, projectile vomiting, and neck stiffness.

Streptococcus pyogenes can also enter the bloodstream, causing septicemia and skin manifestations such as purplish petechiae or purpura.

The mortality rate is 5% to 10%.

Blastomycosis can lead to brain damage and subsequent sequelae such as hearing loss or deafness, intellectual decline, etc.

The objective of the immunization is to stimulate an immune response in the organism against specific antigens.

The adverse reaction is a marginal effect caused by vaccine, which is not related to the original intention of vaccination.

Adverse reactions to vaccines include any unfavorable reaction that occurs after vaccination.

A negative reaction could be caused by the vaccine, or it might be an accident.

The Streptococcus Pneumoniae vaccine is not associated with any adverse reactions in every child, and if there are any, they are usually mild fevers, with a very few cases of high fever.

Reactions to Meningococcal Vaccination: After receiving the meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine, most reactions are mild.

Locally, there may be a slight erythema and tenderness, which generally subsides within 24 hours. In a minority of cases, there may also occur small nodules at the injection site.

Most people do not have symptoms of the whole body, but some people have a short-term low fever.

After injection, fever generally peaks at 48 hours, gradually returns to normal thereafter. If the temperature does not decrease, seek medical attention immediately.

Generally, children with fever are not eligible for vaccination.

The reactions following the administration of the meningococcal vaccine are generally mild. Occasionally, some individuals may experience a brief period of low-grade fever. In some older children, allergic reactions may occur, such as the appearance of skin rashes or blisters within a dozen hours after vaccination. In such cases, it is advisable to seek medical attention from a doctor.

Redness and tenderness may occur at the injection site, which usually subside within 24 hours and do not require special treatment.

When you have a fever, you should not use fever-reducing medication; instead, you should only use physical cooling methods, such as applying ice packs or cool towels to lower your temperature.

Meningitis Vaccine Precautions: The meningitis vaccine is indeed an effective method for preventing meningitis. In addition to the national requirement for infants to receive the meningitis vaccine, many mothers are also well aware of this. However, it is important to understand that not everyone is suitable for receiving the meningitis vaccine. Before deciding to vaccinate your baby and safeguard their health, it is crucial to first determine whether your child falls into the category of individuals who should not receive the meningitis vaccine.

Patient with central nervous system infection.

Individuals with a history of febrile convulsions.

Individuals with severe heart, liver, or kidney diseases, especially those with organ failure.

Individuals with mental disorders and psychiatric conditions.

Individuals with a history of allergies, including drug and food allergies.

If the patient is febrile or in the acute stage of a disease, it is not advisable to administer the meningococcal vaccine. The vaccination can be deferred until the patient has fully recovered.

The appearance of a red rash or tenderness at 6-8 hours after the vaccination, and gradually disappears in 24 hours.

In fact, getting vaccinated for encephalitis does not mean that one is immune to it indefinitely or that it is long-lasting. It only means that vaccination can effectively prevent the transmission of the disease and ensure the health and safety of our babies. Therefore, when we choose vaccines as a relatively more effective method, especially if our baby is not suitable for vaccination, we should learn about and understand what measures can be taken to ensure the health and safety of our baby.

Pay attention to the baby's diet and exercise, so that the baby can have a healthy body, grow taller and bigger, and improve immunity.

When can babies get the meningitis vaccine? The meningitis vaccine is not something that can be taken lightly. Understanding when a baby is appropriate for vaccination will help ensure their safety and health.

Meningococcal vaccine is a part of the immunization program and children who are up for vaccination without any contraindications must be vaccinated.

The immunization schedule for the meningococcal vaccine is as follows: one dose at 7 months and another at 10 months (usually the A group is selected); and one booster dose at 3 years and 6 years old (usually the A+C group).

It can be seen that the time for cerebrospinal meningitis vaccine administration is as follows: 6 months, 9 months, 3 years and 6 years.

The vaccination schedule for Japanese encephalitis vaccine is as follows: At 8 months, 2 years, and 6 years.

Both vaccines are preventive against meningitis.

Although both encephalitis and meningitis are infectious diseases of the central nervous system, clinical manifestations are similar, but they are different diseases.

First, Streptococcus pneumoniae is the cause of meningitis. It is transmitted by respiratory droplets from carriers or patients.

The virus is transmitted from animals to humans through mosquitoes that carry it, first infecting livestock such as pigs, horses, cattle, etc.

The outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis starts in the end of winter and is prevalent during the Spring Festival, but it decreases significantly by early summer. Its seasonality is less strict than that of Japanese encephalitis.

Encephalitis is epidemic during summer and early autumn.

Both diseases begin with symptoms of fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Typical patients may experience lethargy, convulsions, or coma.

However, encephalitis patients do not have the meningoencephalitis stage, and they do not appear with petechiae or develop shock rapidly.

Although both severe cases of the disease can lead to various danger symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, the course of encephalitis is not as rapid as that of meningitis.

The general course of meningococcal meningitis is 7 to 10 days, and the recovery period often involves the appearance of herpes around the mouth and nose. However, the course of encephalitis lasts approximately 2 weeks before entering recovery, and even up to six months after onset, there may still be residual symptoms in the nervous and mental aspects.

Secondly, there are many differences in the results of cerebrospinal fluid tests between the two.

In cerebrospinal fluid smears or cultures, meningococci may be found. The fluid is cloudy like porridge and the white count and protein are markedly increased with a decreased sugar and chloride.

The cerebrospinal fluid of encephalitis B exhibits clearness or slight turbidity, and the number of white blood cells is only slightly elevated, while protein levels are mildly increased. The glucose and chloride concentrations are generally normal.

Finally, Stroke is controlled by antibiotics (such as penicillin) for infection, but encephalitis is not yet treated with any special methods.

*The medical information provided in this text is for reference only.

In case of discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately for accurate diagnosis and treatment.