Meningitis

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Non-routine Vaccinations

Quadrivalent A/C/W135/Y

Strains of meningitis differ globally, with different countries being troubled by different types of the disease. It is important for travellers to be aware of this in case they need to be vaccinated against certain strains before they travel.

The Quadrivalent MenA/C/W/Y is recommended for people travelling to certain parts of Africa and Asia, where the A, W and Y strains are still prevalent. People travelling for the Hajj Mecca are now legally required to be immunised with a vaccine against Meningitis W. Until 2010, people five years of age and older were offered between 3-5 years of protection with the polysaccharide ACWY vaccine (ACWY Vax). However, this vaccine was not effective in children under the age of five thus, in 2010, the conjugate ACWY vaccine (Menveo) was introduced. Menveo is recommended for use in all ages, including children under five years of age, and is expected to produce a higher and longer-lasting immunity.

For more information about the vaccine needed for travel to Hajj or Umrah, visit our ACWY Travel Vaccine page and for further information on immunisations needed for travel, visit the NHS Choices travel vaccines page.

BCG Vaccine

The BCG vaccine is between 70-80% effective against the most severe forms of the disease, such as TB meningitis in children. Before 2005, the BCG vaccine was offered to all children aged 13 at secondary school in the UK. The vaccine is now offered to those individuals at greatest risk. The new programme will identify and vaccinate babies and older people who are most likely to catch the disease, especially those living in areas with a high rate of TB or whose parents or grandparents were born in a TB high prevalence country.

Rates of TB are now very low in many parts of the UK and children living in these areas have a very low risk of infection. However, in other areas, rates of TB are increasing. This is why the BCG vaccine is now mainly targeted at babies living in areas where there is an increasing rate of TB cases.  The highest rates occur in inner-city areas where many of the risk factors for TB are found. Around 40% of all new TB cases are in London. For more information please visit the NHS Choices website page on BCG.