Should 17-18 year olds get a catch-up MenB vaccine before university?

[Strandlover]

Vaccination for meningitis B has been on the schedule for babies since 2015 - but those currently at university were born before this so won't have had this vaccination apart from if someone has organised and paid for them to have it privately. (Only on Mumsnet have I ever known that this is a thing)
Given the tragic turn of events in Uni of Kent this weekend, should all 17-18-year-olds be offered this vaccine as a catch up before they head off to university?
(NB Don't know if this vaccine would have prevented this particular outbreak but I still feel that it's not fair to this cohort of kids who go off unprotected from a disease that younger children are now routinely vaccinated against)

I have gone back to the manufacturer’s data from its primary extension studies conducted during clinical trials and found the following:

If first vaccinated with a Bexsero course at age 2-5

Immunity after 2-3 years pre booster 21% (worst strain) 74% (best strain)
After booster given at the 2-3 years point 93% (worst strain) 100% (best strain)

If first vaccinated with a Bexsero course at age 6-10

Immunity after 2-3 years pre booster 47% (worst strain) 86% (best strain)
After booster given at the 2-3 years point 96% (worst strain) 100% (best strain)

If first vaccinated with a Bexsero course at age 11-17

Immunity after 7.5 years pre booster 29% (worst strain) 84% (best strain)
After booster given at the 7.5 years point 93% (worst strain) 100% (best strain)

Source for my last post: https://au.gsk.com/media/2zlnoyqc/bexsero_pi_au.pdf

@HighburyHope Thanks that’s really reassuring. It makes sense to issue a booster then.

Obviously being clinical trials data it is now dated and may or may not be matched in real-world use. Still, better some data than no data.

Also trying to work out if I need to get a booster for DD. She is now 13. She was vaccinated against men b privately in 2014-15 (the vaccine was available privately in 2014 before being added to the nhs schedule in 2015 but DD wouldn't have been eligible for the catch up programme that was run when it was first introduced). She received 3 dosages of the vaccine as she was under 2 when given her first dose - 2 were given 2 months apart and the final dose was 12 months after the second dose.

Does she now need a booster?
If so, when?
Is the booster one dose or two?

I don't think that the GP will be any help as all they will do is repeat the nhs guidance which does not include the booster for her (or indeed any!) age group!

Right, I have an answer from the GP.

She says that as long as the child had the full 3-dose course they do not need to have a booster as a teenager.

She also said to make sure that your DC had the MenACWY vaccination, which is usually given in Y9. If they missed it, they can still get it up to age 25 for free on the NHS and to contact your local surgery to arrange it.

That's the official advice.

There isn't much data about how effective childhood vaccination for men b is for young adults.

It's difficult for them to give advice because the data isn't out there and the official advice in the UK is that there isn't a need for a booster.

@zurigo thank-you for that - although I'm pretty sure my DCs (who were older than 2 when they had the vaccination done privately) only had 2 jabs? This was the recommended schedule for those over the age of 2 and I think it still is? So confusing!

It's changed not sure when but current babies get 3 jabs of it

Going by the manufacturer’s info which I extracted in my post at 11.40, I would be boosting any child of mine at 17 or 18 if they had first been vaccinated in early childhood (not advice - I am not a doctor - but that is what I would do for my own children unless some good reason emerged as to why not).

My Dh has just read the data. They give it to young babies as they are the most at risk so worth the program. It is very rare in older people, immunity lasts about 3 years. Also all jabs have risks.
Even if you all go and vaccinate now it takes a few weeks to kick in.
However for free you can educate on meningitis and sepsis symptoms.
it will be interesting if the nhs revisit now but I guess it’s if this outbreak changes the overall yearly ‘data’ in anyway.

Wes Streeting has said in the last hour or so that they will be revisiting eligibility for the vaccine.

Very annoying, this, from Wes Streeting, given that this situation surely has nothing to do with vaccine take-up:

On vaccines, Streeting says he follows the advice for Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) but he says if he hopes "one good thing" can come out of this situation is the "general public awareness of the important of taking up vaccinations".

@isekaied the schedule is 3 doses for babies under the age of 2, and 2 doses for children aged 2 and above. I just checked online and this is still correct.

I also read that children build up immunity against Men B as they get older and 1 in 4 harbour it in their throats unknowingly. It would appear that it is impossible to tell who is going to get really sick from it. I think that if you have been vaccinated as a baby or a young child you will still probably have a better immunity to it (i.e. in terms of how sick it is going to make you as opposed to whether or not you can catch it) so I reckon that if you have had any form of vaccination, even if it is 10 years ago, it will offer some type of resistance...although I agree that a booster pre university or pre sixth form (when close proximity to others is highest) is a good idea.

He’s said UoK students living in halls of residence will be offered a vaccine.

I read that the meningitis b vaccine and boosters that has been given to babies/children since 2015 only protects them until they’re aged 4. Most cases are in children between 0-4 and so at present, it’s not considered worth vaccinating after this age. Obviously cost effectiveness will be the driving factor.

So babies getting the vaccine now, won’t be any safer as young adults than young adults now who haven’t had the vaccine.

I didn’t see that but if the kids were not even offered the vaccine he can’t complain. If they were offered and didn’t take it that’s another argument. Has he got it confused with measles?

Although all the talk is of GSK’s Bexsero vaccine, there is also a perfectly good vaccine made by Pfizer called Trumenba, licensed for use in those aged 10 and over. I wonder whether that could be looked into to help cover the unvaccinated adolescent population without impacting supply of Bexsero for the infant vaccination programme.

(Side-note: Pfizer got there first with the vaccine, and in 2016 GSK was found to have breached Pfizer’s patent in developing Bexsero. However, GSK was allowed to keep Bexsero on the market for public benefit).

Yes, immediately, but also that a review will be done of eligibility more generally.

That's great that incoming students will be offered it, so I guess that will tick one DS off my list....they will have to get a wriggle on though if they want to get them done (and boosted) pre September.

I would like to see some official clarification on this.

Is the jab they receive at 14 an actual catch up (for the one that wasn't available when they were younger?) or is it a booster?

Annoyingly I have 2 DC who missed it - one was born in 2015 but as it was before July they weren't legible.

I will also look into private vaccination.

My DD is 17 but taking a gap year next year. She came out of 6th form today and asked about a private injection before uni. I think i’ll just get it done; but will ask DS (21) too. I cant vaccinate one and not the other, their choice though - it’s £200 ish for 2 injections the recommended course.

I wouldn’t assume that the review will conclude in favour of extending vaccination eligibility. It might, or it might not.

The jab they receive at 13 or 14 protects against the A, C, W and Y variants of meningococcal disease. Not the B variant which is covered by the vaccine babies now get (since 2015) but older DC don’t get.

Thank you.

Gosh it's even worse than I thought then as the only option is private? Which of course isn't an option for everyone.