ACIP: Routine Meningococcal Vaccination for HIV-Infected Individuals

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended routine vaccination with meningococcal conjugate vaccine for HIV-infected individuals aged 2 months and older.

Specifically, they recommended that:

  • Children under 2 years should be vaccinated with MenACWY-CRM or MenACWY-D according to the age-appropriate multidose schedule.
  • Individuals aged 2 years and older who have not previously been vaccinated should receive a 2-dose primary series of MenACWY.
  • Those that have previously been vaccinated should receive booster doses at age-appropriate intervals.

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“The recommendations for children aged 2 months through 2 years and persons aged ≥25 years are based on expert opinion; the vaccine was not studied in HIV-infected persons in these age groups. On the basis of available data and expert opinion, either MenACWY-CRM or MenACWY-D may be used in HIV-infected persons,” they wrote.

Further, they recommend that infected individuals aged 56 years and older receive MenACWY for revaccination, and noted that for all infected individuals, while the same vaccine product should be used for all doses of vaccination, if the product of the previous doses is unknown of unavailable, vaccination may be completed with any age- and formulation-appropriate meningococcal conjugate vaccine.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

CDC. Recommendations for use of meningococcal conjugate vaccines in HIV-infected persons — Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 2016. MMWR. 65(43);1189–1194.