Meningitis Vaccines

And personally, I’d rank the HPV vaccine as actually MORE important. (Not that they’re both not important- they are.)

Yes, I have been trying to get the new one as it’s a major breakthrough. The most virulent form of meningitis B had no vaccine until now. There’s nothing for me to contemplate. All kids going off to college should be protected. But you know the anti-vaccine group will always find a reason for blowback. Someone I know is against the POLIO vaccine. Her actual comment when she heard it might help with cancer was, “Finally, a reason for the polio vaccine to exist.”

Just to clarify, I’m not anti-vaccine. My children got all the childhood vaccines, except the (at the time) new rotovirus one, because there was an issue with a previous vaccine Rotashield that was recalled, and Prevnar.
They also got the recommended Hep A. And growing up in Germany we got live Polio vaccine boosters every 10 years. When I moved to the US and asked if I needed a booster they looked at me like I was crazy…

I think parents should have enough info to be able to make an informed decision about benefits and risks, in the case of this new vaccine I personally don’t feel I have enough info to comfortably make this decision, but I will most likely get the shot for my D because I have to make the best decision with the facts I have at the moment. That’s all I can do.

The advisory committee is supposed to meet again in June to decide if they will expand the recommendation from high risk group to expanded target group. More trials will have to be run to see if the vaccinated persons can still be carriers of Men B, and how long immunity will last.

I just wish I had more time to make this decision, but my D is going to college in August so if I want her to have the first two doses by then I’ll have to get her vaccinated soon.

@mommdc I guess I can understand your concern because it’s new, although there seems to have been a great deal of safety studies. All these vaccines need boosters, though. No meningitis will last forever. But for some reason meningitis tends to hit the teen and college years, so I’m not sure it would really be a lifelong booster series. More just covering those high risk years.

Just off the phone with our pediatrician: the AAP is letting it be a provider’s choice rather than a recommendation to give the MenB vaccine. My pediatrician says she does not offer a vaccine in its first year because she likes to see how it trends, etc., before recommending it to her patients.

My pediatrician is recommending this vaccine. We are planning to get it soon. I am still checking with the insurance provider (BC/BS) about coverage issues. Insurer said it would be 100% covered but they need to make sure the way they code it will match the way the pediatrician codes it. I have made contact with one of the schools and they will have the vaccine available while at college, once the school year starts. I am waiting to hear back from the other school. Good thing for OP to have brought up, IMO.

http://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/downloads/interim-guidance.pdf

New Jersey, Ohio, and California are listed here as places where university MenB outbreaks have occurred.

ACIP Passes “Permissive” Recommendation for MeningB Vaccine for Young Adults
http://shotofprevention.com/2015/06/24/acip-passes-permissive-recommendation-for-meningb-vaccine-for-young-adults/

Following up on my previous post about the vaccine- It is fully covered by insurance, so it makes sense to get it and our pediatrician has it on order for the young adults in my family.

I also suggest that college students get the flu shot when it becomes available as sickness can spread like wildfire in the dorms.

Thanks for this thread, going to check into B. FYI our county health department offers all vaccines free or for like $5, even the very pricey ones. Yours may too.

In trying to locate the Meningitis B vaccine (Bexsero or Trumenba) a couple of days ago in Seattle, I called two travel clinics, a major medical practice, a pediatric practice, and the two biggest drugstore chains. Also tried calling the Health Department but could never get through. No one had it, had ever had it, or heard any news of when they might be receiving it. I called Novartis (who developed Bexsero) and learned they had transferred Bexsero to Glaxo Smith Kline. GSK told me that yes, it was being distributed in Seattle, but they couldn’t tell me where for privacy reasons among other things.

This evening we stopped into a Walgreens near the University of Washington. Although I had already contacted the biggest Walgreens 24 hr pharmacy superstore with no luck I thought I would ask the pharmacist at this smaller branch if he know when it might be available. It turned out they had one dose sitting in their refrigerator. I checked the package to make sure it was the real thing!

Our health insurance includes vaccines and the Bexsero was completely covered ($199). It was not mentioned by the pharmacist or in the patient information printouts that a second dose is needed after 30 days .

^^ Thank you for sharing this, I asked my child’s doctor about the menB shot and she said there isn’t one. ( we are also in the Seattle area). I’ll be making a few calls today.

Wow, we live in a small rural town and the Ped nurse researched this when I asked about it and later told me they could order it in, but don’t have it on hand.

My DH just had the menB shot for a work trip to Africa at a travel clinic. He has to go back for the second shot after a month.

@Maystarmom, did his arm bother him after the shot? My D said her arm was pretty sore for about 3 days or so.

@mommdc I’m afraid he had 4 shots in one arm and 3 in the other for all types of vaccines. He ached for 3 days, but couldn’t tell from what.

For those of you in the far north states, I’ve read that the Men B vaccine is more readily available in Canada, if you’re having trouble locating it.

@mommdc My daughter recieved Bexsero yesterday evening. It was painful–it kept her awake part of the night and this morning her arm was so sore she could barely raise it. Now, a little over 24 hours from the shot, it still hurts but is much better.
I mentioned this to a pharmacist today and she said the pain is related to there being an “adjuvant” in the vaccine to increase the immune response. Apparently adjuvants (in this case, aluminum) are commonly added to vaccines.

@ciervo, thanks for sharing your D’s experience.

@Maystarmom, ouch! I should have realized that your H would have likely gotten more than one shot going to Africa.