Meningitec (meningitis C vaccine)
|Main use||Active ingredient||Manufacturer|
|Preventing meningitis C||Meningococcal group C oligosaccharide conjugate vaccine||Pfizer|
How does it work?
Meningitec is a meningitis C vaccine that contains inactivated extracts of Neisseria meningitidis group C bacteria, a type of bacteria that causes meningitis. The vaccine works by provoking the body's immune response to this bacteria, without causing the disease.
When the body is exposed to foreign organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, the immune system produces antibodies against them. Antibodies help the body recognise and kill the foreign organisms. The antibodies remain in the body to help protect the body against future infections with the same organism. This is known as active immunity.
The immune system produces different antibodies for each foreign organism it encounters. This establishes a pool of antibodies that helps protect the body from various different diseases.
Vaccines contain extracts or inactivated forms of bacteria or viruses that cause disease. These altered forms of the organisms stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies against them, but don't actually cause disease themselves. The antibodies produced remain in the body so that if the organism is encountered naturally, the immune system can recognise it and attack it. This prevents it from causing disease.
Each bacteria or virus stimulates the immune system to produce a specific type of antibody, and this means that different vaccines are needed to prevent different diseases.
The meningococcal group C vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies against group C meningococcal bacteria. It prevents meningitis caused by this type of bacteria.
What is it used for?
- Preventing meningitis C.
The meningitis C vaccine is part of the childhood immunisation schedule. This brand of the meningitis C vaccine will be used to give a booster dose to children aged around 14 years.
If you are aged under 25 years and have never been immunised against meningitis C, you should also have this vaccination, particularly if you are due to start university.
How is it given?
- This vaccine is given as a single injection into the muscle of the upper arm for adolescents and adults.
- No vaccine is 100 per cent effective and this vaccine may not protect all people who are given it from contracting meningitis C.
- This vaccine only provides protection against meningitis caused by group C Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. It will not protect against other groups of Neisseria meningitidis, or other organisms that cause meningitis or septicaemia (blood poisoning).
- People whose immune system is underactive, for example due to a genetic defect, HIV infection, or treatment with medicines that suppress the immune system, such as chemotherapy, high doses of corticosteroids, or immunosuppressants (eg to prevent transplant rejection), may not produce an adequate immune response to this vaccine. For further advice talk to your doctor.
Not to be used in
- People with sudden feverish illness (the vaccine should be postponed until after recovery).
- People with known sensitivity or allergy to vaccines containing diphtheria toxoid or non-toxic diphtheria toxin protein.
This vaccine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction after having this vaccine, inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Use with caution in
- People at risk of bleeding following an injection into the muscle, eg people with haemophilia or low levels of platelets in their blood (thrombocytopenia), or people taking medicine to prevent blood clots (anticoagulants, eg warfarin).
- A form of kidney disease called the nephrotic syndrome.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Certain vaccines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other vaccines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before having any vaccine.
- This vaccine has not been studied in pregnant or breastfeeding women. It should only be given to pregnant or breastfeeding women if the risk of exposure to the disease is considered to be high and the expected benefit of the vaccine outweighs any potential risk to the baby. However, in general, there is no known risk from vaccinating women who are pregnant or breastfeeding with inactivated bacterial vaccines such as this one. Seek further medical advice from your doctor.
Vaccines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this vaccine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people having this vaccine will experience that or any side effect.
This vaccine contains no live bacteria and cannot cause meningitis C. If you experience meningitis-like symptoms after having this vaccine you should contact your doctor or local Accident and Emergency Department immediately to rule out other causes. These symptoms include neck pain, neck stiffness or a dislike of light (photophobia), drowsiness or confusion, or red/purple bruise-like spots that do not fade under pressure.
Very common (affect more than 1 in 10 people)
- Pain, tenderness, redness or swelling at site of injection.
Common (affect between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people)
- Pain in the muscles.
Very rare (affect less than 1 in 10,000 people)
- Swollen glands.
- Fainting or seizures.
- Pins and needles or numb sensations.
- Nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain.
- Aching joints.
- Skin reactions such as rash, hives or itching.
- Allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis, narrowing of the airways (bronchospasm) or swelling of the lips, throat and tongue (angioedema).
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the vaccine's manufacturer.
For more information about any other possible risks associated with this vaccine, please read the information provided with the vaccine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.
How can this vaccine affect other medicines?
This vaccine is not known to affect any other medicines or vaccines.
However, people taking medicines that suppress the activity of the immune system, for example chemotherapy, high-dose corticosteroids, or immunosuppressants, eg used following an organ transplant, may not produce adequate numbers of antibodies in response to this vaccine. As a result, the vaccine may be less effective in these people. If you are taking any of these medicines you should discuss this with your doctor.
This vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines, but if so, the other vaccines should be administered into separate sites and preferably into separate limbs.