Meningococcal vaccine evaluation

Data on adverse events reported to a passive provincial surveillance system have been evaluated after the mass immunization with a polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine of 1 198 751 people aged 6 months to 20 years in Quebec. A total of 118 reports of severe adverse events were selected. The most frequent were allergic reactions (9.2 per 100 000 doses), followed by few neurological reactions (0.5 per 100 000 doses) and very few anaphylactic reactions (0.1 per 100 000 doses). There were no reports of long-lasting sequelae or of encephalopathy, encephalitis, or meningitis (15). 

Peltola H, Safary A, Kayhty H, Karanko V, Andre FE. Evaluation of two tetravalent (ACYW135) meningococcal vaccines in infants and small children a clinical study comparing immunogenicity of O-acetyl-negative and O-acetyl-positive group C polysaccharides. Pediatrics 1985 76(l) 91-6. 

A combined meningococcal and typhoid vaccine (Merieux) was evaluated in 158 volunteers in a singleblind study (11). Comparing the effects with those in vaccinees receiving monocomponent vaccines or the combination vaccine, there was no significant difference in the reported frequency or duration of local and systemic reactions. However, vaccinees who received the monocomponent typhoid fever vaccine alone were less likely to complain of swelling or pain at the injection site. 

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