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Facts About Meningitis

Meningococcal disease is devastating, and it affects infants and teens in particular. We hope these facts will help you see how important it is to prevent this disease. The CDC has already taken huge steps in preventing this disease in teens and young adults. Now they have an opportunity to prevent the same meningococcal disease in infants. Please, Take Action to encourage the CDC to make the right decision.

What is Meningococcal Disease?

  • Meningococcal disease is a leading cause of meningitis (an infection of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord) and sepsis (a life-threatening bloodstream infection)
  • There are five groups of meningococcal bacteria that are responsible for causing most of the disease. They are C, A, Y, B and W135. Four of these groups are vaccine preventable (C, A, Y and W135)
  • Each year approximately 1 in 7 people who contract meningococcal disease will die from it
  • The disease starts with non-specific flu-like symptoms, progresses rapidly and aggressively and can kill in as few as four hours, making it a very difficult disease to diagnose and treat
  • Of those who survive 1 in 6 will suffer limb amputations, paralysis, seizures, strokes, hearing loss, blindness, organ damage, severe scarring, brain damage and more

Meningococcal Disease in Infants

  • Aside from injuries and neonatal complications, meningococcal disease is among the leading causes of preventable infant death in the U.S. Approximately 50-60% of these cases are vaccine preventable
  • Recent CDC estimates reveal that meningococcal disease incidence is three to seven times higher in infants under one year old than in any other age group, and the highest risk for meningococcal disease is during the first seven months of life
  • Approximately 1 in 16 infants who contract meningococcal disease will die from it
  • There are more deaths from meningococcal disease each year than there are from pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella and rotavirus disease – all infections for which infants currently receive vaccinations

Vaccine for Infants

  • Right now, the CDC recommends routine meningococcal vaccination for children and adolescents 11-18 years of age
  • In April 2011, the FDA approved an infant vaccine as safe and effective at preventing meningococcal disease, and the agency is expected to approve additional infant vaccines for this disease over the next year
  • Now that a vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease in infants is available, the CDC will consider it and decide whether or not to recommend its use in infants
  • According to a 2010 ACIP presentation, infant vaccination for meningococcal disease would prevent approximately 195 cases and 13 infant deaths caused by this disease each year, making this vaccination an important step towards eliminating the disease entirely in the U.S. (much like we were able to achieve with a vaccine for polio and small pox)

We Need Your Help…

As you can see, meningococcal disease is devastating, painful and often fatal. And some of the more common forms in infants in the U.S. are preventable. Our government’s public health objective has always been to eliminate disease where possible, and in this case a recommendation for infants would be a huge step toward eliminating this disease.

We encourage the CDC’s recommendation regarding meningococcal vaccine to be no different.



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