Two New Vaccines Help Reduce Meningitis Transmission

Meningitis, a bacterial infection of the membranes that covers the brain and spinal cord, can result in life-threatening complications. However, researchers have now come up with two new vaccines to reduce transmission of the health issue.

The two vaccines help to reduce meningitis spread that's responsible for bacteria in both the nose and throat.

"The standard practice is to vaccinate with the aim of inducing high levels of antibodies in the blood to protect against the disease, but we know that these antibodies can disappear over the course of a few months," said lead study author Robert Read, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Southampton, in a news release. "This study is telling us that the vaccines also have an effect on carriage in the throat and explains why they can be so effective across the population."

For their research, study authors examined over 10 centers across the United Kingdom and tested the effectiveness of two meningitis vaccines-the MenACWY-CRM and 4CMenB-on participants between the ages of 18 and 24.

All were either given two doses of a control vaccine, two doses of the 4CMenB vaccine or one dose of MenACWY-CRM or a placebo.

Findings revealed that men who took the MenACWY-CRM had reduced carriage rates by 39 percent, while the 4CMenB vaccine reduced carriage rates between 20 and 30 percent.

Most viral meningitis cases, which these vaccines will not help, are likely to occur in children 5 and younger. However, some bacterial cases are more common in young adults. A bacterial meningitis infection during pregnancy can also increase the risk of listeriosis for the parent and future child.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal The Lancet.