Meningitis and/or HPV vaccination before uni?

[NeedingCoffee]

DS is, I think, a couple of years too old to have had one of the meningitis strains vaccine as a toddler and was also a year too old to be offered HPV... again I need to check that as I have menopause-brain, but I seem to think DD has had HPV (she's a school year younger), but not DS. And that neither have had one of the meningitis ones.

Has anyone has these done privately before uni? Any advice on providers, cost etc? And any medically-informed advice on whether it's a good idea to consider would of course be amazing!

Sorry to double post but I got this from GSK's info re the Bexsero jab (Men B):

BEXSERO is approved for use in individuals aged 10 through 25 years. For intramuscular use. Two-dose schedule: Administer a dose (0.5 mL) at 0 and 6 months. If the second dose is administered earlier than 6 months after the first dose, a third dose should be administered at least 4 months after the second dose.

So I think it is 6 months if your teen is having this brand of jab, otherwise they need 3 in total.

This is certainly not the same information as contained in the leaflet my DD received after her first injection 2 weeks ago. She had Bexsaro as the Men B vaccination and I’ve just checked the information leaflet. I’ll add as a photo but in meantime it clearly says fit “adolescents and adults from 11 yrs” the they should receive two injections with the interval between each injection “at least 1 month”

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Thanks, @Limeandsoda2023 , yes I've just dug out the physical leaflet we received which is the same as yours. How strange. The pharmacy is local to me so I'll go in and ask him.

I will attach the thing I googled. It seems legit too - from gskpro.com!

Oh I don't think I can attach a pdf. I'll screenshot.

Hi @Discosaurus was this for MenB? Haven't read the full thread but my son had both doses of MenB vaccine recently before heading off to uni and the practice nurse said that it used to be 8 weeks recommended between doses but that it has recently been reduced to 4 weeks. So it might be worth double checking with your GP practice for their advice as this is so different to what your pharmacist said.

Thanks @LetMeJustCheckMyCitrusPocket . It seems very strange - both the pharmacist's advice and that the two leaflets say different things. I think I'll do that - check with GP. (Yes it is men B)

It's usually hep B, MMR and TB that medical students get given. I've never heard of meningitis b being given unless it's a new thing.

My child was fine after both doses. Sore arm but that's all. However I've heard some have felt unwell the day after. I suppose it's like.all vaccines, everyone has an individual reaction.

Thank you @TrixieFatell . My child had the first does of MenB last week and was totally fine - no headache, no sore arm. Hopefully it'll be the same for the next dose.

Sorry if I've misunderstood, but unless your DS is a mature student (which I'm doubting given you're organising her vaccines), I don't think she can have been a year too old for the HPV vaccine. I received it at school and I'm in my early 30s.

Get the HPV maybe if she didn't have it at school but I really wouldn't worry about much else.

Yes, and one of the things you really, really want to do when you get meningitis is go somewhere quiet and dark and away from other people. Its a feature of the virus, your suffering brain playing tricks on you.

My DCs all had the Vax in their late teens ahead of university in the US, as most universities require proof of vaccination.

You've misunderstood. 'DS' means the op has a son, not a daughter. Boys only started getting the HPV vaccine in 2019.

The UK's national HPV vaccination programme started in September 2008, offering the vaccine to girls aged 12 to 13 (school year 8). A catch-up programme for older girls aged 13-18 also began in 2009, and the programme was extended to include boys in school year 8 starting in September 2019

I really am going to worry about getting my child the Meningitis B vaccine before uni!

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Meningitys B is only available privately . It is NOT given to kids at school. It’s really important to get it if you can.

HPV girls have had it and for ages they relied on herd immunity to protect boys. Now boys have it at school too. DS1 is in his third year at uni and didn’t have it. dS2 is in his first year and his year group had it at school.

If your child is make but has had a couple of gap years before starting they won’t have had HPV. If they are gay or bisexual they can get it for free at a sexual health clinic.

This is bad advice. Meningitis B can kill you.

My son had the men b vaccine when he was 9. Now off to uni this year but guidance says protection only lasts a few years. I’ve been trying to find out if they can have a second jab or booster bit can’t find any guidance on it. I think babies get three shots the same dose as the two he had. I’m tempted to book him in for one shot before he goes. Anyone else encountered this?

My dd had a fairly bad reaction - very sore arm for a week, needed paracetamol the first two days for general flu type symptoms. She’s not had such a bad reaction to any of the other childhood jabs, so I’ve booked the next Men B one for the holidays so it doesn’t matter so much if she feels rubbish.

It’s only 2 shots for babies too - both of mine were vaccinated privately and got 2 shots each (around 7 years ago)

It’s three shots. 8 weeks, 12 weeks and booster at one year.
Practice nurse.

From what I’ve seen babies have the same dose as older children - but three shots. So I think it’d be okay to get another jab as an unofficial booster as my ds only had two when he was vaccinated 9 years ago. There’s no guidance on boosters in the uk I don’t think but think they do elsewhere so think it’s worth it given protection wanes.

I see, thank you. My younger one had it at 2 years and it was 2 shots. Perhaps 3 for newborns.