What Is Menactra Used For?
Menactra® (
meningococcal vaccine) is approved to provide protection against invasive meningococcal disease. It is used only to prevent meningococcal disease caused by
Neisseria meningitidis; it does not provide protection against any other types of bacteria.
Invasive meningococcal diseases include:
- Bacterial meningitis (a bacterial infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord)
- Bloodstream infections.
Invasive meningococcal diseases are quite serious, even if they are treated appropriately with antibiotics. For instance, as many as 10 to 15 percent of people treated with antibiotics for bacterial
meningitis will die. Of those that survive, 11 to 19 percent have serious and sometimes devastating complications, such as loss of an arm or leg, deafness,
seizures,
strokes, or mental retardation. This is why it is so important to prevent invasive meningococcal diseases.
Menactra is used in individuals age 2 through 55 years. However, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does not recommend the vaccine for all individuals in that age group. Routine vaccination with Menactra is recommended for the following groups:
- Almost all children and adolescents between 11 and 18 years of age
- College freshmen living in dormitories
- Laboratory workers who are routinely exposed to N. meningitidis
- United States military recruits
- Anyone living in or traveling to areas of the world where meningococcal disease is common
- Anyone with a damaged or removed spleen
- People with a specific immune system disorder known as "terminal complement component deficiency"
- People who might have been exposed to meningitis during an outbreak.
