“The rapidity of the serogroup switching arouses concern about the induction of herd immunity against single serogroups by vaccination programs in which capsular antigens (e.g., serogroup C polysaccharides) are used. Without lowering the incidence of meningococcal disease in the long run, such programs may rapidly increase the incidence of serogroup B meningococcal disease, for which no vaccine is available.”
—The New England Journal of Medicine January 20, 2000; 342(3), 219-220
There are twelve different serogroups of N. meningitidis that have been identified, serogroups A, B, C, H, I, K, L, X, Y, Z, 29E, and W-135.229 Serogroups A, B, C, Y, and W-135 are known to produce infections in humans.230 N. meningitidis is part of our normal flora.231 The bacteria are found in the nose and mouth in about twenty-five percent of individuals and in the throat in nearly 100 percent of individuals.232
There are approximately 2,500 to 3,000 cases of meningococcal infection per year in the United States (.8 to 1.3 cases per 100,000 population).233 According to the CDC, from 1988 to 1991 serogroup B accounted for 46 percent of infections; serogroup C accounted for 45 percent of infections; and serogroup Y accounted for 2 percent of infections.234 The rates of infection for serogroups A and W-135 were scarce.235 Lets see what the vaccine offers.
The first licensed vaccine for meningococcal infection in the U.S. was licensed in 1978.236 But is the vaccine effective? Actually, it is totally worthless, just like the rest of the vaccines. The vaccine is licensed for serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135.237 The rates of infection for serogroup A and W-135 are scarce.238 The rates of infection for serogroups C and Y are forty-five percent and two percent, respectively.239, 240 What about serogroup B? The vaccine offers absolutely no protection against serogroup B.241 Serogroup B is the most common type of infection among children less than two years of age, and the most common type of infection among adults age 18 to 34.242 The CDC even recommends against routine vaccination of civilians “because of its [Menomune®] relative ineffectiveness in children <2 years of age (the age group with the highest risk for sporadic disease).”243 Children less than four years of age vaccinated with Menomune® had less than ten percent immunity after only three years.244 Or in other words, the vaccine had a 90 percent failure rate!
The risk of a child contracting meningococcal infection in the U.S. is 0.0008 percent. On a population basis, the risk of a child dying from meningococcal infection in the U.S. is 0.00032 percent. In other words, your child has a 99.9992 percent chance of not contracting meningococcal infection, and a 99.99968 percent chance of not dying from meningococcal infection. Again, these numbers are based on are the CDC’s figures.
