Key points
- There are 5 meningococcal vaccines available in the United States.
- Meningococcal vaccines help protect against one serogroup (strain) or multiple serogroups of the bacteria that cause meningococcal disease.
- Meningococcal vaccines help protect those who get vaccinated, but protection decreases over time.
- Talk to a vaccine provider if you have questions about meningococcal vaccines.
Available vaccines
MenACWY vaccines
MenACWY vaccines (Menveo® and MenQuadfi®) help protect against 4 serogroups of the bacteria that cause meningococcal disease: A, C, W, and Y. This type of vaccine is also known as a serogroup A, C, W, and Y, or quadrivalent, meningococcal vaccine.
MenB vaccines
MenB vaccines (Bexsero® and Trumenba®) help protect against serogroup B meningococcal disease. This type of vaccine is also known as a serogroup B meningococcal vaccine.
The number of shots varies by level of risk:
- People 16 through 23 years old not at increased risk: 2 shots
- People 10 years or older at increased risk: 3 shots
MenABCWY vaccine
MenABCWY vaccine (Penbraya™) helps protect against 5 serogroups of the bacteria that cause meningococcal disease: A, B, C, W, and Y. This type of vaccine is also known as a serogroup A, B, C, W, and Y, or pentavalent, meningococcal vaccine.
A MenABCWY vaccine is an option for people who are getting MenACWY and MenB vaccines at the same visit.
How well they work
Vaccines that help protect against meningococcal disease work well but cannot prevent all cases.
As part of the licensure process, MenACWY, MenB, and MenABCWY vaccines showed that they produce an immune response. This immune response suggests the vaccines provide protection, but data are limited on how well they work. Since meningococcal disease is uncommon, many people need to get these vaccines in order to measure their effectiveness.
MenACWY vaccines
Available data suggest that protection from MenACWY vaccines decreases in many teens within 5 years. Getting the 16-year-old MenACWY booster shot is critical so teens have protection when they are most at risk for meningococcal disease.
Experts are unsure to what extent MenACWY vaccines protect the larger, unvaccinated community through population or herd immunity.
MenB vaccines
Available data on MenB vaccines suggest that protective antibodies decrease quickly (within 1 to 2 years) after vaccination.
Experts believe MenB vaccines don't provide protection to unvaccinated people through population immunity.
MenABCWY vaccine
Available data on MenABCWY vaccine suggest that its protection follows a similar pattern as noted above for the MenACWY and MenB components.
Resources
Meningococcal Vaccine Information Statements
MenACWY: English | Other languages
MenB: English | Other languages