{"id":15498,"date":"2022-06-07T16:21:36","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T06:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mvec.mcri.edu.au\/?post_type=references&p=15498"},"modified":"2025-03-25T10:57:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T23:57:13","slug":"%e0%a4%ae%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%97%e0%a5%8b%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8b%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b8%e0%a4%b2","status":"publish","type":"references","link":"https:\/\/mvec.mcri.edu.au\/hi\/references\/meningococcal\/","title":{"rendered":"\u092e\u0947\u0928\u093f\u0902\u0917\u094b\u0915\u094b\u0915\u094d\u0938\u0932"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

What is it?<\/h2>\n

Meningococcal disease constitutes any illness caused by the bacteria\u00a0Neisseria meningitidis.\u00a0<\/em>There are 13 known subtypes (serogroups) and of these, 5 are currently vaccine preventable (B and A, C, W, Y).<\/p>\n

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) can cause meningitis (inflammation of the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord) and septicaemia (infection in the blood), as well as other infections like pneumonia (lung infection), arthritis (inflammation of the joints) and conjunctivitis (eye infection). Mortality (death) can be as high as 5\u201310% with permanent lifelong complications occurring in 10\u201320% of those who survive.<\/p>\n

What to look for<\/h2>\n

The incubation period of meningococcal is 1 to 7 days, more commonly 3 to 4 days. People with meningococcal disease can become extremely unwell very quickly. Symptoms can include fever, headache, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting and photophobia (sensitivity to light). Cool, mottled extremities and leg pain can also occur. Babies can appear irritable or unsettled, have a high-pitched moaning cry, refuse or not wake for feeds and be lethargic (sleepy) or floppy. A petechial or purpuric rash can appear late in the disease progression (within 13 to 22 hours) or not at all.<\/p>\n

How is it transmitted?<\/h2>\n

Disease can be transmitted from person to person via respiratory droplets (e.g. sneezing and coughing). Meningococcal bacteria can also live harmlessly at the back of the nose or throat, resulting in individuals being asymptomatic carriers.<\/p>\n

Epidemiology<\/h2>\n

Children under 2 years of age have the highest incidence of meningococcal disease in Australia, with another peak of disease among adolescents and young adults (15\u201324 years). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander<\/a> people have a\u00a0much greater burden of disease than non-Indigenous people.<\/p>\n

There are also certain medical conditions and medications that can increase an individual\u2019s risk of IMD. These include (but are not limited to) those with functional asplenia and hyposplenia,<\/a> complement deficiency and those receiving treatment with eculizamab (see below for specific information for those with increased risk of IMD).<\/p>\n

Prevention<\/h2>\n

MVEC strongly recommends everyone wishing to be protected against ACWY and B strains of meningococcal disease be immunised. Some individuals are eligible for funded vaccines via the National Immunisation Program (NIP)<\/a>. Those aged 6 weeks of age and older who do not meet the funding criteria can purchase vaccines privately through some councils<\/a>, GPs and pharmacies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The number of vaccine doses recommended depends on a person\u2019s age and risk factors for IMD.<\/p>\n

Meningococcal ACWY vaccines<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are 3 conjugate meningococcal ACWY vaccines available:<\/p>\n