09 Jan 08

A study carried out by the Oxford Vaccine Group along with Dalhousie University and British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Canada have shown that a new meningitis vaccine has the potential to protect infants against four of the main types of meningococcus bacteria.

Children under two years are the group most vulnerable to meningitis, and vaccination in infancy is the only way to provide immunity, yet there is currently no drug licensed in the US for use in this age group.

There are currently 1400–2800 cases of meningitis in the US each year, of which 10–14% are fatal, and with 20% of the survivors suffering long-term disability.

A new tetravalent meningococcal glyco-conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) has therefore been developed, and tests have shown that it generates a very promising immune response against the disease. As with vaccines against other forms of meningitis it is a conjugate vaccine – i.e. it uses carrier proteins to stimulate the immune system.

A controlled study was carried out on 421 children in the UK and Canada, who were enrolled into five groups. The groups were vaccinated according to different schedules – at two, three, four and 12 months; at two, four and 12 months; at two, four and six months or at 12 months only.

The study found that the vaccine was successful in stimulating antibodies against four of the main types of meningococcus bacteria – groups A, C, W-135 and Y. The fifth type, B is not able to be immunised against by conjugate vaccines.

The tests raised no major safety concerns. Some children suffered minor adverse reactions such as tenderness and swelling or mild fever or irritation. However, these reactions were no more frequent or serious than for other, licensed vaccines.

Dr Matthew Snape, Senior Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Consultant Paediatrician at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: ‘The tests have shown that the vaccine has the potential to reduce the number of cases of meningitis in babies and young children under two, who have the highest bacterial meningitis disease rates. Immunisation is the only way to protect against the disease, which is fatal in approximately one in ten cases.’

The Oxford Vaccine Group is based at the Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine (CCVTM) and the Department of Paediatrics. The Vaccine Group works towards the goal of developing new and improved vaccines for the prevention of infection in children, enhancing the understanding of immunity and studying the epidemiology of infectious diseases.