Conjugate vaccine is highly effective for controlling epidemics of meningococcus C infection in young people☆

  • Mooney, John D. MPH

  • Public Health Scientist, Epidemiology of Respiratory Infectious Disease, Health Protection Scotland, UK

(Commentator)

☆Abstracted from: De Wals P, Deceuninck G, Boulianne N, et al. Effectiveness of a mass immunization campaign using serogroup C meningococcal conjugate vaccine. JAMA 2004; 292: 2491-2494 .

Sources of funding: Quebec ministry of Health and Social Services.

Abstract provided by Bazian Ltd, London

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

Evidence-based Healthcare & Public Health 9(3):p 200-202, June 2005.

Question:

How effective is the serogroup C conjugate meningococcal vaccine?

Study design:

Before-after study, comparing infection rates before and after a mass immunisation programme after an epidemic; cohort analysis comparing infection rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated people 1 year after immunisation programme.

Main results:

In the population aged between 2 months and 20 years (the immunisation target population), vaccine efficacy of the serogroup C oligosaccharide-CRM197 protein conjugate vaccine was 96.8% 1 year after vaccination (95% CI 75% to 99.9%; see notes). The incidence of serogroup C meningococcal infection in the immunisation target population, dropped from 21.47 per million people during the 2001 epidemic, to 3.26 per million in 2002, after the immunisation programme.

Authors' conclusions:

The serogroup C conjugate vaccine is highly effective for controlling epidemics of serogroup C meningococcal infection, and provides protection for at least 1 year.

Copyright ©2005 W.B. Saunders Company, a Harcourt Health Sciences Company