Meningitis Vaccines

There have been plenty of threads with antivaxxer debates. Don’t think we need another (nor does it need to be debated here- agreed).

Just curious @californiaaa — if your child is attending college where an outbreak of meningitis B occurs and two kids have already died, will you still diss vaccines that give your child a ~60-80% chance of protection? Let’s amp it up a little–will you say NO to vaccines if one of the dead is your child’s roommate? I have never understood this aversion to immunity, but I am curious how you think.

It’s not boring to the victims of the disease.

@CaliCash, you do need the HPV vaccine series for the reason @bhmomma just stated, and because plans change. My daughter also intended to wait until marriage, but it didn’t work out that way. Human beings, even devout ones, are pretty weak when it comes to resolutions about sex. It’s better to be protected when possible.

FYI - son got his first Bexsero shot this past Thursday at our local Stop and Shop. No crazy symptoms afterward just a bit sore the next day.

It’s also wise to get the HPV vaccine while you are a teen and the cost is covered! They are very expensive, and I was happy to have the $350 per shot per child covered either by insurance or because all vaccines in Florida are provided free by the department of health.

Aetna covers both the group B men shots (if you can find them). Bexsero should be easy for them to order because it comes in single doses not sure if that is also true of Trumenba. None of the Drs in our area carry it but the health dept did at full price and my insurance won’t reimburse from the health dept. We found that hospital pharmacies would order it with a Rx and our Dr office would give it. I had a friend die of group B in college and 2 years ago a friend’s child died of group B within a month of starting college so we are definitely 100% in favor of the shot. Everything I have read says it only lasts 5 years so some students will need to do this again if they go to grad school. My son said it hurt less than a flu shot but obviously everyone reacts a bit differently to vaccines. He did have a reaction to MMR.

FYI- HPV is covered by most insurances even after the teen years. Most private insurance (Ie- not medicaid-type plans… though even these often will) cover people under the age of 26 and some will even cover beyond that. You just have to check.

Further, many health departments will subsidize the cost if you’re uninsured or have medicaid.

@californiaaa, noting that it is easy to be a critic and to anonymously toss a grenade and then disappear, but also that you MAY have a legitimate point of view, are you serious about the meningitis vaccine having been proven not to be very effective? Do you have links to ROC curves showing specificity and sensitivity for the vaccines? Which vaccine? I realize it is very difficult to substantiate a point of view, but I am asking you to do so, so it can be taken seriously.

This thread is mostly about meningitis B and about two very specific vaccines, that are different from each other and different from previous meningitis vaccines. Are you amusing yourself by just tossing in a nonsense generalized comment to get a reaction, or can you actually contribute to the discussion. I am very careful about vaccinations and would welcome your input.

Note that HPV vaccine is recommended for both sexes.

I’ll read the thread tomorrow, befor we visit the ped for D16’s immunization and college health form. The doc is still reviewing this new meningitis vax and has not decided if it’s recommended.

We are going to the doctor today for a S16’s physical for the college health form. I will ask about the group B Meningitis vaccination. When I mentioned it when I made the appointment, the nurse said he had already had it. It wasn’t until after I got off the phone that I realized she was talking about the regular meningitis vaccination.

My D’s friends went to have their college physical and no doctor mentioned the Men B shot.

I had read about it on CC and that is a new vaccine, different from the one they got at 11 yr and 16 yr old.

So I called the Pediatrician’s office and they said they need to research it and called me back and said they could order it in.

There is not a universal recommendation for this vaccine yet, but you can ask for it.

If your doctor’s office doesn’t offer the vaccine, try the local CVS, Walgreens, etc

http://www.nfid.org/idinfo/meningitis/meningococcal-b-qa.pdf

^NFID FAQ about Men B updated June 2016

http://www.immunize.org/askexperts/experts_men.asp

^CDC FAQ

Thank you @mommdc Very helpfull information.

I was charged $165 dollars for the Bexero shot for my son at the pharmacy. We have Aetna but have not met our deductible yet. He has had 2 of the HPV vaccinations as well. I agree with the previous poster that boys should get this vaccination as well to prevent the spread of HPV. You really must be clear regarding which Meningitis vaccination you are asking about. My friend told me that a nurse tried to give her son the meningitis vaccination that he had already had at his Dr. visit. Thankfully she caught it before it was administered.

@Asil65 is that cost because it’s not an officially recommended vaccine? Ours was totally covered like all vaccines, the doc did ask how old D is and if she’s in college, I think it’s covered only for certain ages.

This article suggests it should be covered (all the way at the end, the article is a year old): http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/health/health-panel-recommends-cautious-approach-to-meningitis-b-vaccine.html?_r=0

…and under the ACA all vaccines must be covered without copay or coinsurance, but maybe not this one for some reason?

I also thought that we would have to pay a deductible, but Health America covered it fully. My D was 18 at the time.

I would contact your insurance, I was under the impression that Aetna and most major insurance companies covered it.

http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/300_399/0356.html

lots of information

but it’s not clear to me if they indeed cover Men B vaccine for adolescents since it mentions something about being “experiential”