Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS Ca' Granda Foundation, Policlinico Hospital, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 29;19(7):4035. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074035.
Meningococcal disease is caused by ; 13 serogroups have been identified and differentiated from each other through their capsular polysaccharide. Serotypes A, B, C, W, X, and Y are responsible for nearly all infections worldwide. The most common clinical manifestations are meningitis and invasive meningococcal disease, both characterized by high mortality and long-term sequelae. The infection rate is higher in children younger than 1 year and in adolescents, who are frequently asymptomatic carriers. Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing infection and transmission. Currently, both monovalent meningococcal vaccines (against A, B, and C serotypes) and quadrivalent meningococcal vaccines (against serogroups ACYW) are available and recommended according to local epidemiology. The purpose of this article is to describe the meningococcal vaccines and to identify instruments that are useful for reducing transmission and implementing the vaccination coverage. This aim could be reached by switching from the monovalent to the quadrivalent vaccine in the first year of life, increasing vaccine promotion against ACYW serotypes among adolescents, and extending the free offer of the anti-meningococcal B vaccine to teens, co-administering it with others proposed in the same age group. Greater awareness of the severity of the disease and increased health education through web and social networks could represent the best strategies for promoting adhesion and active participation in the vaccination campaign. Finally, the development of a licensed universal meningococcal vaccine should be another important objective.
脑膜炎球菌病是由 ; 13 个血清群引起的，通过其荚膜多糖彼此区分。血清型 A、B、C、W、X 和 Y 负责全球几乎所有的感染。最常见的临床表现是脑膜炎和侵袭性脑膜炎球菌病，两者都具有高死亡率和长期后遗症的特点。在 1 岁以下儿童和青少年中感染率较高，这些人常常是无症状携带者。接种疫苗是预防感染和传播最有效的方法。目前，单价脑膜炎球菌疫苗（针对 A、B 和 C 血清群）和四价脑膜炎球菌疫苗（针对血清群 ACYW）均可使用，并根据当地流行病学情况推荐使用。本文的目的是描述脑膜炎球菌疫苗，并确定有助于减少传播和实施疫苗接种覆盖率的工具。这一目标可以通过在生命的第一年从单价疫苗过渡到四价疫苗、在青少年中增加针对 ACYW 血清型的疫苗推广、并将抗脑膜炎球菌 B 疫苗的免费提供范围扩大到青少年，同时与同一年龄组中建议的其他疫苗共同接种来实现。通过网络和社交网络提高对疾病严重性的认识和加强健康教育，可能是促进接种疫苗和积极参与疫苗接种运动的最佳策略。最后，开发一种有许可证的通用脑膜炎球菌疫苗应该是另一个重要目标。
