Public Health Impact of Introducing a Pentavalent Vaccine Against Invasive Meningococcal Disease in the United States

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is primarily associated with five Neisseria meningitidis serogroups: A, B, C, W, or Y. In the United States (US), available vaccines protect against serogroups B (MenB), A, C, W, and Y (MenACWY), and A, B, C, W, and Y (MenABCWY). The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is re-evaluating the adolescent meningococcal vaccination schedule with varying recommendation formats. This analysis aimed to predict which schedule could avert the most IMD cases and have the most positive public health impact (PHI).

An epidemiological model compared the 15-year PHI of vaccination schedules using MenB, MenACWY, and/or MenABCWY vaccines versus current US standard of care (SoC). Varying coverage rates reflected routine, shared clinical decision making, and risk-based recommendations. Sensitivity analyses assessed robustness of the results to different inputs/assumptions.

The most positive PHI compared with SoC was observed with one dose of MenACWY at 11 years of age and two doses of MenABCWY (6 months apart) at 16 years of age, assuming routine recommendation and coverage reflecting real-world uptake of MenACWY. This strategy resulted in 123 IMD cases averted (MenB: 59, MenACWY: 64), 17 deaths prevented, 574 life-years saved, and 757 quality-adjusted life-years gained versus SoC. Eliminating MenACWY vaccination at 11 years was found to result in an additional IMD burden.

A routinely recommended two-dose pentavalent vaccine, with doses administered 6 months apart at 16 years of age, alongside the routinely recommended MenACWY vaccine at 11 years of age, would improve the PHI and benefits of IMD vaccination to society.