Carriage of serogroup C meningococci 1 year after meningococcal C conjugate polysaccharide vaccination

Lancet. 2002 May 25;359(9320):1829-31. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)08679-8.

Abstract

The UK was the first place to introduce meningococcal serogroup C conjugate (MCC) vaccines. From November, 1999, all people younger than 18 years, about 14 million individuals, were offered MCC immunisation. The uptake rate was more than 70% by November, 2000. We compared the carriage of meningococci in isolates we obtained from 14,064 students aged 15-17 years during vaccination in 1999, with those from 16,583 students of the same age surveyed 1 year later. Carriage of serogroup C meningococci was reduced by 66% (p=0.004). Our results show that MCC vaccines protect against carriage of meningococci that express serogroup C polysaccharide capsules.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Carrier State / drug therapy*
  • Carrier State / epidemiology
  • Carrier State / immunology
  • Humans
  • Meningococcal Vaccines / therapeutic use*
  • Neisseria meningitidis / immunology
  • Neisseria meningitidis / isolation & purification*
  • United Kingdom / epidemiology

Substances

  • Meningococcal Vaccines
  • serogroup C meningococcal conjugate vaccine