The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 263 No 7069 p700
October 30, 1999 Clinical

Meningitis C added to routine vaccine programme

Starting next week, meningococcal C immunisation will be included in the Department of Health's national immunisation programme. Wyeth's new conjugate meningococcal C vaccine is now licensed and will be available for the start of the programme. This is the first conjugate meningococcal group C vaccine. The vaccines available up to now have been polysaccharide vaccines which have not been suitable for use in young children and do not provide long term protection. The conjugate technology overcomes these limitations (see article, p703).

Wyeth first to get its vaccine licensed

The Department of Health's immunisation programme will target young adults and babies most at risk of infection. In the first instance, the vaccine is being made available for:

• Young people aged 15, 16, and 17, starting November 1
• Babies when they get their routine diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTP), polio and Hib vaccination at 2, 3 and 4 months, starting November 29
• Children receiving their first measles, mumps and rubella vaccination at around 13 months, starting November 29
• Children aged five to 12 months, who will be recalled for immunisation in the new year.

The Department of Health says that, as more vaccine becomes available in the new year, the programme is expected to intensify to involve other high risk groups.
The Wyeth vaccine, called Meningitec, will be distributed by Farillon. Two other companies, Chiron Vaccines and North American Vaccines, are producing meningococcal C conjugate vaccine but these are not expected to be licensed before Christmas.
Group C infection accounts for around 40 per cent of cases of meningococcal infection in the UK; most of the other cases are caused by group B infection, against which there is currently no vaccine. Because of this, there is need for continued vigilance for the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia, said Dr Elizabeth Miller (Public Health Laboratory Service), commenting on the launch of the new vaccine. Overall mortality in the UK from meningococcal infection is around 10 per cent.
For travellers requiring meningococcal vaccine, immunisation with the original polysaccharide A and C vaccine will be recommended.

The Department of Health said this week that, from the start of the new meningococcal C immunisation programme, a combined DTP-Hib vaccine will be available, which means that children will not require three injections.