May 30, 2006 -- Shortage Defers Meningococcal Vaccination of 11-12-Year-Olds

Faced with a shortage of a recently licensed new vaccine against meningococcal disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week asked providers to postpone vaccinating 11- and 12-year-old children in order to make the vaccine available for adolescents at high school entry and college freshmen living in dormitories. It's expected that demand will outpace supplies of the vaccine, tetravalent polysaccharide-protein conjugate (MCV4), marketed as Menactra, at least through summer this year, said the manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., of Swiftwater, Pennsylvania. Providers are asked to track the 11- and 12-year-olds whose vaccinations are deferred and recall them when the supply of vaccine improves. The CDC said that for most persons, MCV4 is preferable to an earlier tetravalent meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4), marketed as Menomune, which is also made by Sanofi Pasteur; but the CDC pointed out that Menomune is also highly effective in preventing certain types of meningococcal disease and "is an acceptable alternative" to the newer vaccine, particularly for persons who have brief elevations in risk, such as travel to places where meningococcal disease is epidemic. The CDC said, however, that supplies of MPSV4 are also limited. Periodic updates of vaccine supply will be available at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/news/shortages/default.htm.