Bacterial meningitis vaccines: not just for kids

Abstract

Bacterial meningitis remains a feared diagnosis that may lead to significant mortality and morbidity in both the developed and developing world; case fatality rates range from 10% to 50% among all age groups. Several vaccines are available (including the Haemophilus influenzae type B polysaccharide conjugate vaccine) that have proven effective in reducing the incidence of bacterial meningitis. Although a 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine has been available for some time, use of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) has demonstrated a dramatic reduction in the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease; despite the increase in the disease caused by nonvaccine-serotype strains, the success of the 7-valent PCV is noteworthy. A quadrivalent conjugate meningococcal vaccine has been available in the United States since 2005; although its true efficacy remains to be determined, there have been dramatic results with declining incidence in certain high-risk populations and in endemic areas.