How Well Does a Two-Month Infant Schedule for the 4CMenB Vaccine Work?

A vaccine against serogroup B meningococcal disease was highly effective when given to infants in the U.K. at ages 2 and 4 months.

Until recently, the only meningococcal vaccines available in the U.S. targeted serogroups A, C, Y, and W. None protected against serogroup B meningococcus (MenB) because its polysaccharide capsule is structurally similar to human glycoproteins, yielding poor immunogenicity. Two nonpolysaccharide multicomponent MenB vaccines, now available, are composed of multiple protein antigens that are shared among many group B Neisseria meningitidis strains. One of the vaccines, 4CMenB (Bexsero), was offered (on the basis of immunogenicity, not effectiveness) at ages 2, 4, and 12 months to all infants born in the U.K. after July 1, 2015; it was estimated to protect against 73% to 88% of MenB strains. (In the U.S., 4CMenB is approved for use in people a…

Reviewing Author

Robert S. Baltimore, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInfectious Diseases in Children

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesMember Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease

Robert S. Baltimore, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInfectious Diseases in Children

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesMember Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease

How Well Does a Two-Month Infant Schedule for the 4CMenB Vaccine Work?

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Reviewing Author