ATLANTA — Revaccination against meningococcal disease with the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine was recommended for certain high-risk individuals by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although the Food and Drug Administration labeling of the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4, Menactra) is only for a single dose, ACIP voted to recommend revaccination for specific groups at high risk for meningococcal disease “out of an abundance of caution,” Dr. Amanda Cohn said at a meeting of ACIP.
The committee recommended a second dose of MCV4—or a first dose of MCV4 in people who already received one dose of polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine—after 5 years for the following high-risk groups of people aged 7-55 years:
▸ Persons with persistent complement deficiencies.
▸ Persons with anatomic or functional asplenia.
▸ Microbiologists who are routinely exposed to isolates of Neisseria meningitidis.
▸ Frequent travelers to or people living in areas with high rates of meningococcal disease, such as the African meningitis belt.
At this time, ACIP did not recommend revaccination for college freshmen living in dorms who were previously vaccinated with MCV4 at age 11-18 years, nor did they recommend it for military recruits. “We will continue to monitor if there is a need for more broad revaccination with MCV4,” said Dr. Cohn of the CDC's division of bacterial diseases.