People who travel to areas where meningococcal disease is more common, or who travel to mass gatherings, are recommended to receive MenACWY vaccines
MenACWY vaccines are recommended for people who are planning travel that may involve a greater risk of exposure to meningococcal serogroups A, C, W and Y.
These people include:
- people travelling to, or living in, parts of the world where epidemics of serogroup A, meningococcal disease occur, particularly the ‘meningitis belt’ of sub-Saharan Africa (see Accessing up-to-date travel information in Vaccination for international travellers)
- people travelling to mass gatherings, such as pilgrims travelling to the Hajj in Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabian authorities require documentation of MenACWY vaccination for country entry visas. See Vaccination for international travellers.
The vaccine brand and doses needed for primary vaccination depend on the person’s age when they start the vaccine course, and are the same as for healthy people. Details on the number of doses and dose intervals are in:
- Table. Recommendations for meningococcal vaccines for healthy people aged ≥2 years, by age and vaccine brand
- Table. Recommendations for immunisation of infants and children aged <2 years using meningococcal ACWY vaccines, by age and vaccine brand
For infants who commence MenACWY vaccination aged <6 months due to planned travel to areas where meningococcal A disease is common:
- Infants who commence vaccination aged <6 months with Menveo should receive a 4-dose schedule (given as a 3+1 schedule) for optimal protection against serogroup A; 3 primary doses should be given with an interval of 8 weeks between doses, followed by a 4th dose at 12 months of age (or 8 weeks after the 3rd dose whichever is later).
- Infants who commence vaccination aged <6 months with Nimenrix should receive the standard schedule.
Booster doses
Booster doses
People who have received a full primary course of MenACWY vaccine and have an ongoing increased risk of meningococcal disease due to travel are recommended to receive a booster dose of MenACWY vaccine. The timing of booster doses depends on the person’s age when they finished the primary vaccination course:
- People who were ≤6 years of age when they finished the primary course should receive a booster dose 3 years after the last dose of the primary course, then every 5 years after that while the risk is ongoing.
- People who were ≥7 years of age when they finished the primary course should receive a booster dose every 5 years while the risk is ongoing.
People who have previously received a meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine
People who have previously received a meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine
People with ongoing increased risk of meningococcal disease due to travel who have previously received a quadrivalent meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (4vMenPV— previously available in Australia but now discontinued) are recommended to receive 1 dose of MenACWY conjugate vaccine. They should receive this dose 2 years after the most recent dose of 4vMenPV, with a recommended minimum interval of 6 months. They are also recommended to receive booster doses of MenACWY vaccine (see Booster doses).