How to Vaccinate Against Meningitis

There are a few different kinds of vaccines that target the most common causes of bacterial meningitis. There has been much success in meningitis prevention through these vaccinations, especially in children.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Vaccinate Against Streptococcus Pneumoniae

1. Schedule a vaccination against Streptococcus pneumoniae for your child under two years old. This is recommended for children without any apparent, major medical conditions.

2. Postpone the Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination until your child is between the ages of two and four if your child has a high risk of pneumococcal diseases. High risks can be caused by sickle cell disease, AIDS or the lack of a spleen.

3. Be prepared for the possibility of side effects, such as a slight fever or, in very rare cases, seizures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 5 percent to 15 percent of children who are vaccinated for Streptococcus Pneumoniae will develop a low grade fever.

Vaccinate Against Neisseria Meningitidis

4. Schedule a vaccination against Neisseria meningitidis right before travelling to sub-Saharan Africa or anywhere else where meningitis is a high risk. Sub-Saharan Africa is known as the "meningitis belt."

5. Consider vaccinating against Neisseria Meningitidis when the child is between 11 and 12 years old, or right before the child enters high school. This is the time period recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

6. Stress vaccination as a preventative health tactic for entering college freshmen. College freshmen, due to their age and the living conditions of dormitory life, have a higher risk of contracting Neisseria meningitidis than other people and are urged to get vaccinated.

Vaccinate Against Haemophilus Influenzae

7. Think about giving your child the vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria. This vaccination, introduced in 1985, has significantly reduced the number of cases of childhood meningitis.

8. Administer the Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria vaccine when the child is between two months and five years old for the safest and most optimum results.

9. Schedule the vaccines so that there is no overlap with other childhood vaccinations.

Tips & Warnings

• Other ways to prevent contracting meningitis include good hygiene and a safe diet. Do not share food and drink with people who have an illness and wash your hands often.
• This vaccination is optional. Most people who need this vaccine are already known to have high risks of certain bacterial infections. A healthy child can go through life without ever worrying about meningitis.
• Vaccines against meningitis target the three most common bacterial causes of the disease: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae. Calculate the risk that you or your child have of contracting each kind of bacteria and decide which vaccine(s), if any, you think you need.
• Meningitis vaccines only target bacterial meningitis, not viral.

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