If you are hesitant about vaccinating your children, I understand. We are constantly bombarded with bad information from previously reliable sources. And we need to understand the logic behind the science as well. When confronted with a choice between accepting or rejecting vaccination, there is a risk in either choice. What you need to understand is that the risk of not vaccinating is always greater. If that statement were not true, the vaccine would not be offered. I have seen vaccines withdrawn or not offered to the general public because of the possibility that giving the vaccine was riskier than not getting the vaccine.

So you can believe that the meningococcal vaccines are a good idea, even though the diseases themselves are not common. Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is caused by a bacterium called Neisseria meningiditis. It can cause meningitis (inflammation around the brain and spinal cord) or septicemia (blood infection). IMD progresses rapidly and can be fatal. People can carry the bacteria without symptoms and spread the bacteria through close contact. The peak age for carrying the bacteria asymptomatically is adolescence and young adulthood, as is the peak age for becoming infected. Common symptoms include fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, severe headache, sensitivity to light, and a purple rash that doesn’t blanch. Complications, even if treatment is started immediately, can include hearing loss, brain damage, limb loss, and death within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. College students and armed services inductees, especially in their first year in a dorm or barracks, experience a three-fold increased risk. But all adolescents can reduce risk with safe and effective vaccines. There are five different strains of Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, and the risk is mostly based on age. Here is a typical vaccine schedule which I recommend:

- Age 11-12: 1 dose of Men ACWY vaccine

- Age 16: Booster – second dose of Men ACWY vaccine

- Age 16 –23: 1 dose of Men B vaccine

Note that the most common strain in older adolescents is type B. The vaccine for type B is not covered by insurance or VFC after age 19.

Please talk to your pediatrician. Make sure your adolescents are protected.

Robert B. Golenbock, MD, is currently retired. He has cared for children in the Danbury area for 43 years, including at the Center for Pediatric Medicine. The CPM is located at 107 Newtown Rd, #1D, Danbury, CT, 06810. For more information, please call (203) 790-0822 or visit their website at https://centerforpediatricmedct.com.