Meningococcal vaccination

Vaccination against meningococci

What does the vaccine prevent?

The vaccine is intended to prevent meningococcal infections caused by bacteria known as meningococci (Neisseria meningitidis).

Vaccination is aimed to protect against diseases that can cause group B meningococci. These include meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia, arthritis and pericarditis.

The vaccine can be used in infants over 2 months of age, older children, teenagers, and adults.

The course of invasive meningococcal disease is unpredictable and dynamic. It can progress within 24 hours. The initial symptoms are non-specific – they can be similar to a cold, which makes it difficult to diagnose. Any contact with a sick person or an asymptomatic carrier can cause infection through airborne droplets (coughing or sneezing) or by direct contact due to intimate kissing, sharing the same glass, etc. Everyone is exposed to meningococcal disease regardless of their gender or age. However, children under 5 years of age are most commonly affected. The disease can also affect teenagers and young adults aged between 16 and 21.

Who is the vaccine for?

In accordance with the recommendations of specialists, the vaccine against meningococci is recommended to all individuals who are particularly vulnerable to meningococcal infections, especially those in large groups, i.e.:

• infants and children attending a nursery, kindergarten or school, going on summer camps or their older siblings attending a kindergarten or school;
• adolescents and young adults up to 21 years of age, especially pupils and students living in boarding schools or dormitories;
• children and adults with congenital immunodeficiency;
• travelling to areas of endemic and epidemic meningococcal infections.

Due to the epidemiology of meningococcal infections in Poland, the best recommendation is to start vaccination of children in the first half of their life (from 2 months of age) immunizing them primarily against group B meningococci.

What are the benefits of vaccination?

• It is the most effective method of preventing meningococcal disease: the early symptoms of meningococcal infection are non-specific, making it difficult to diagnose quickly.
• Protection against sudden dangerous effects of invasive meningococcal disease (meningitis or sepsis), which can even lead to death within a few hours.
• Avoiding permanent complications – reducing the risk of complications that may be the result of invasive meningococcal disease, i.e. hearing impairment, neurological defects, psychiatric disorders, bone and joint damages, scarring of the skin within necrotic lesions, amputation of limbs, kidney failure.

The vaccine does not guarantee 100% effectiveness against all strains of group B meningococci. Despite its administration, some people may not develop resistance to meningococci or it may be too low, e.g. in patients with impaired immunity.

What is the vaccine administration schedule?

It covers a primary vaccination and a booster vaccination in infants and children under 2 years of age.

The primary vaccination is usually only necessary for patients over 2 years of age.

The vaccination schedule and doses are determined by age of a patient. Primary vaccination in younger children includes 2-3 doses that are administered at specified intervals plus one booster dose, or 2 doses administered at specified intervals in older children (from 2 years of age).

What does the product/service cover?

One (1) vaccine against group B meningococci One (1) vaccine administration

PLEASE NOTE: A qualification visit for vaccination is not included in the package. The patients who do not have it guaranteed within the scope of their healthcare package need to purchase the qualification visit separately.

Make sure you book your vaccination appointment within 3 months of the date shown on your order confirmation.

Purchasing process

1. First, please select the city/town and medical centre where you would like to be vaccinated. NOTE: This package does not include qualification visits for vaccina­tion. The patients who do not have it guaranteed within the scope of their healthcare package need to purchase the qualification visit separately.

2. Once you have paid for vaccination, please book a qualification visit for it. The visit is necessary each time before the vaccine is administered. The vaccination is administered immediately after the qualification visit.

3. The visit can be booked at any Medicover Centre reception desk. Alternatively, please call the Medicover Hotline on +48 500 900 550.

If the doctor does not qualify a patient for a vaccination, another qualification visit has to be re-booked within the time specified by the doctor. The next qualification visit is paid separately (unless it is covered by the patient’s current healthcare package).