After childhood, and more specifically the first four years of life (the first year being the most vulnerable), adolescence is the second stage of life in which meningitis has a higher incidence, due to the social habits of the guys in this period.
In fact, 18 percent of meningococcal disease cases occur in adolescents and young adults, and one in four 19-year-olds is a carrier of the meningococcus bacteria without symptoms. This makes adolescents one of the main risk groups to be vaccinated.
The Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics advises to protect teenagers between 14 and 18 years old with the pneumococcal vaccine ACWY, which covers four serotypes of meningitis.
Most cases, meningococcal disease, is caused by the bacteria neisseria meningitidis Type C and Type B (at least in Spain). Against type C, all children receive the vaccine free of charge according to the calendar at four months of life, at 12 months and at 12 years, while against type B there is the non-funded Bexsero B vaccine, which parents must pay .
In the recommendations that AEPED gave in 2017 about its vaccine schedule, it suggests that the meningitis C vaccine that is administered in adolescence, between 12 and 14 years old, should be replaced by a dose of the MenACWY conjugate vaccine (vaccine Nimenrix).
While Bexsero, against meningitis B, can be administered at any time. They are two doses that from 11 years are recommended to apply with a minimum interval of one month.
After childhood, the second highest incidence of meningitis is between 15 and 19 years.For their part, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also agree on the same recommendations on meningococcal vaccines for preteens and adolescents.
Recommend that All children aged 11 to 12 receive a single dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine, and also advises a booster dose at 16 years.
And it adds to the recommendation: teenagers and young adults (16 to 23 years old) can also receive a serogroup B meningococcal vaccine, preferably between 16 and 18 years of age. Multiple doses of serogroup B meningococcal vaccine are needed and the same brand should be used for all doses. Talk to your teen's doctor if you are interested in having serogroup B meningococcal vaccine.
Recall that the CDC are from the US and that they recommend souvenir doses because there is an incidence of vaccine serogroups. In Spain there are hardly any cases of A, W and Y, but the vaccine is recommended because since we have it, and considering that adolescents travel, it is better to protect them.
Meningococcal disease, what is it?
Meningitis is a very contagious disease and although it is very rare, when it appears suddenly and it can cause death in a few hours. It consists of the inflammation of the meninges, which are membranes that cover the entire central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the cerebrospinal fluid they contain.
According to the AEP, meningitis affects between 400 and 600 people every year, 10 percent with fatal consequences, and about 30% are left with neurological sequelae. The only way to prevent it is by administering the vaccine..
Meningitis symptoms
The most frequent symptoms are fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. It can be accompanied by agitation, obnubilation and decreased level of consciousness and the appearance of epileptic seizures and other signs of brain involvement. The most noteworthy data in the physical examination is the neck flexion stiffness or neck stiffness.
