Meningococcal vaccine: New product, new recommendations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that all adolescents aged 11 to 12 years receive a quadrivalent, conjugate meningococcal vaccine (MCV-4). With time, universal administration of meningococcal vaccine for this age group will make moot the question of whether entering college freshmen should receive meningococcal vaccine. It should lead to a marked reduction in a potentially catastrophic disease and contribute to the continued decline in morbidity and mortality from bacterial meningitis in the United States, which has largely been due to advances in vaccine technology.
Campos-Outcalt
Doug
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Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, 85012 USA. dougco@u.arizona.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate