Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Meningococcal Vaccination topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hawaii VFC webinar reviews rising meningococcal trends, vaccine options and storage rules
Summary
At a Jan. 14, 2025 Hawaii Vaccines for Children virtual office hours, a VFC presenter summarized CDC surveillance showing rising meningococcal disease since 2021, reviewed MenACWY and MenB vaccine types and schedules, noted a new pentavalent option, and reiterated vaccine storage, handling and ordering instructions.
A Hawaii Vaccines for Children (VFC) presenter told attendees during a Jan. 14, 2025 virtual office hours that U.S. meningococcal disease rates have risen since 2021 and that clinicians should ensure eligible patients are up to date on recommended vaccination. "That's why it's important to ensure that everyone who's recommended to receive meningococcal vaccination is up to date," the presenter said.
The presenter gave an overview of meningococcal disease, describing meningitis and septicemia as rapid‑onset, serious illnesses with a reported 10–15% case fatality ratio and up to 20% of survivors experiencing permanent sequelae such as hearing loss or neurologic injury. Transmission occurs person to person via respiratory droplets, with most carriers asymptomatic in the nasopharynx, the presenter said.
The session summarized three vaccine approaches used in U.S. practice. MenACWY vaccines protect against serogroups A, C, W and Y; available brands discussed include Menveo and MenQuadfi. Menveo is supplied in both a two‑vial presentation that requires reconstitution and a single‑vial ready‑to‑use presentation; the two‑vial Menveo is distributed only by special order for eligible high‑risk VFC patients. MenQuadfi is a ready‑to‑use single‑vial product.
Presenter guidance reiterated routine adolescent MenACWY dosing (dose 1 at 11–12 years and a booster at 16) and catch‑up or special schedules for infants and children that vary by age at initiation. The presenter listed higher‑risk indications for MenACWY under VFC, including persistent complement deficiencies, treatment with complement inhibitors, anatomic or functional asplenia (including sickle cell disease), HIV infection, travel to hyperendemic regions, and outbreak‑related risk.
On MenB vaccines, the presenter summarized the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Oct. 24, 2024 update that aligned MenB dosing intervals with FDA labeling and harmonized recommendations for Bexsero (GlaxoSmithKline) and Trumenba (Pfizer). The presenter emphasized that MenB products are not interchangeable by manufacturer and that all doses in a MenB series should come from the same manufacturer. For most adolescents, MenB is given as a two‑dose series at least six months apart; a three‑dose accelerated series is an option when rapid protection is needed (for example, students starting college in less than six months).
The presenter also noted a pentavalent meningococcal vaccine that covers serogroups A, B, C, W and Y (the presenter referenced a trade name during the webinar) and said ACIP had recommended the pentavalent product in October 2023 for certain age and risk groups. The presenter described situations in which the pentavalent product may be used in lieu of separate MenACWY and MenB doses when both would be indicated on the same day.
Storage and handling guidance was a major portion of the presentation. All meningococcal vaccines discussed should be stored at 2–8°C (36–46°F) and must not be frozen; manufacturers should be contacted if accidental freezing occurs. Specific product notes included protecting vaccines from light, reconstituting two‑vial presentations immediately prior to use (or storing up to the manufacturer‑specified post‑reconstitution window), and manufacturer instructions for prefilled syringes. The presenter advised that Trumenba prefilled syringes be stored horizontally on the shelf and shaken before use per product instructions.
For ordering, the presenter said most meningococcal vaccines are available through Hawaii’s immunization registry (HIR) but reiterated that the two‑vial Menveo presentation is a CDC special‑order vaccine not routinely available through HIR and must be requested for eligible high‑risk VFC patients. The Hawaii VFC program email (hawaiivfc@doh.hawaii.gov) and phone number were provided for special orders and other VFC questions; technical help for HIR was listed as registryhelp@uh.hawaii.edu.
The presenter closed by pointing attendees to recorded webinars and package inserts linked on the VFC website and asked participants to complete a post‑webinar satisfaction survey. No formal policy decision or vote occurred during the session.
