Meningococcal B vaccine important addition to immunisation programme

+Practice

In print

Vaccines

Meningococcal B vaccine important addition to immunisation programme

15 March 2023

By Mary Nowlan and Emma Best

Wednesday 15 March 2023, 12:35 AM

Bexsero is now funded as part of the routine immunisations given in infancy [Image: Picsea on Unsplash]

Catch up on the latest vaccine funding change, and make sure your patients get caught up too

Key points, Group B meningococci cause much of the invasive meningococcal disease in Aotearoa. A meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero, is funded for all infants, c, Pract Green w Pale Yellow

Paediatrics

References

The Immunisation Advisory Centre. Review of evidence for the New Zealand National Immunisation Programme 2022: Meningococcal B. 2022.
Burton C, Best E, Broom M, et al. Pediatric invasive meningococcal disease in Auckland, New Zealand, 2004–2020. Emerging Inf Dis J (manuscript accepted for publication in 2023).
ESR. Invasive Meningococcal Disease Monthly Report November 2022.
Meiring S, Tempia S, Dominic EM, et al. Excess invasive meningococcal disease associated with seasonal influenza, South Africa, 2003-2018. Clin Infect Dis 2022;74(10):1729–35.
Lucidarme J, Bai X, Lekshmi A, et al. Invasive serogroup B meningococci in England following three years of 4CMenB vaccination – First real-world data. J Infect 2022;84(2):136–44.
Martinón-Torres F, Safadi MAP, Martinez AC, et al. Reduced schedules of 4CMenB vaccine in infants and catch-up series in children: Immunogenicity and safety results from a randomised open-label phase 3b trial. Vaccine 2017;35(28):3548–57.
Zafack JG, Bureau A, Skowronski DM, De Serres G. Adverse events following immunisation with four-component meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (4CMenB): interaction with co-administration of routine infant vaccines and risk of recurrence in European randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open 2019;9(5):e026953.
Ladhani S, Campbell H, Parikh S, et al. The introduction of the meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine (Bexsero) into the national infant immunisation programme--New challenges for public health. J Infect 2015;71(6):611–14.
Dubus M, Ladhani S, Vasu V. Prophylactic paracetamol after meningococcal B vaccination reduces postvaccination fever and septic screens in hospitalized preterm infants. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2020;39(1):78–80.
De Serres G, Billard MN, Gariépy MC, et al. Short-term safety of 4CMenB vaccine during a mass meningococcal B vaccination campaign in Quebec, Canada. Vaccine 2018;36(52):8039–46.

How to Treat

+How to treat

For older people and frail people, the long-term benefit of medicines reduces and the potential for harm from adverse effects increases. When the benefit–risk balance changes in this way, medicine review and optimisation are important to simplify the therapeutic regimen, reduce inappropriate medicines and minimise risks. In this article, pharmacist prescriber Linda Bryant uses two case studies to illustrate important considerations during medicine reviews

Wednesday 28 May 2025, 12:50 AM