Survey Finds Lack Of School Immunization Requirements Is Stopping Healthcare Providers From Vaccinating Adolescents Against Deadly Meningitis B

MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. and FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A patient's school not requiring the Meningitis B (MenB) vaccine was the most frequent reason why healthcare providers did not discuss the vaccine with their 16-to-23-year-old patients, according to an online survey conducted among 524 healthcare providers by the Meningitis B Action Project. No school requirement for the MenB vaccine was also most frequently cited by providers as the reason given by parents for declining the vaccine.

Meningitis B, a deadly bacterial infection more common among 16-23 year olds, accounts for 70 percent of meningococcal meningitis cases among this age group. It is also five times more common in college students (versus non-college students) and is responsible for 100 percent of all meningococcal meningitis-related outbreaks on college campuses in the United States since 2011. However, merely 17 percent of 17-year-olds have received one or more doses of the MenB vaccine and only 41 US colleges and universities require it. There are no US high schools that currently require the MenB vaccine.

"Like COVID-19, Meningitis B is transmissible, deadly or can cause permanent complications. Meningitis B is also a particular threat to young adults because of the way it's spread through close personal contact or sharing things like cups and water bottles," said Patti Wukovits, a registered nurse and co-founder of the Meningitis B Action Project, who lost her daughter to Meningitis B in 2012. "As schools grapple with how to open up safely, requiring students to be fully vaccinated against vaccine-preventable diseases like Meningitis B is critical. Without these requirements, our study shows that students are less likely to get vaccinated simply because providers are not talking to them about it."

Meningococcal meningitis is mainly caused by five types of meningococcal bacteria – A, B, C, W, and Y. That is why two types of meningitis vaccines are necessary to be fully vaccinated against it – the MenB and MenACWY vaccines.  

School vaccination requirements are typically informed by Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations. The ACIP recommends that 11-to-12-year-olds should receive the MenACWY vaccine, followed by a booster at 16. It also recommends that 16-to-23-year-olds may receive the MenB vaccine, preferably between 16-18. The MenACWY vaccine is routinely recommended, and many high schools and colleges require it, whereas the MenB vaccine recommendation is subject to shared clinical decision-making.

However, the survey revealed discrepancies in how providers perceive the ACIP recommendations for Meningitis B. When asked what they saw as the difference between ACIP recommendations for the MenACWY vaccine and the MenB vaccine, nearly 50 percent did not select the correct response, including 25 percent that believed the MenACWY vaccine is more strongly recommended by the ACIP than the MenB vaccine, and 8 percent that believed the MenB vaccine is not recommended at all.

A perception that the ACIP recommendation for the MenB vaccine is not as strong as the MenACWY vaccine was the second most frequently reported reason for providers not consistently discussing the MenB vaccine with their patients, along with time constraints.

"Our findings indicate a critical need for additional education about Meningitis B and the importance of MenB vaccination among providers, young adults and their parents," said Meningitis B Action Project co-founder Alicia Stillman, who also lost her daughter to Meningitis B in 2013. "What I didn't know when Emily passed away, and what so many parents and kids still don't know, is that there isn't only one meningitis vaccine. Parents and children have the right to know so they can make an informed decision about vaccination."

The study utilized an anonymous multiple-choice electronic survey sent to a sample of healthcare providers throughout the United States to understand barriers to discussing and recommending the MenB vaccine and communication strategies used, and to assess provider understanding of current ACIP recommendations.

Click here for the full survey results. 

About the Meningitis B Action Project

The Meningitis B Action Project is a joint initiative of the Kimberly Coffey Foundation and the Emily Stillman Foundation by two mothers who each lost their young, healthy daughters too soon to a now vaccine-preventable disease, Meningitis B. The project aims to empower young adults and parents with the information to talk to their healthcare provider about Meningitis B and the vaccine available to help prevent it, and to encourage the medical community and school administrators to inform students about the availability of the Meningitis B vaccine. Learn more at meningitisbactionproject.org.  

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SOURCE Meningitis B Action Project