Are there vaccines against meningitis?

Yes, there are vaccines against Hib, against some serogroups of N. meningitidis and many types of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
The vaccines against Hib are very safe and highly effective.
There are two vaccines against N. meningitidis available in the U.S. Meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4 or Menomune®) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and available since 1981.

Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4 or MenactraT) was licensed in 2005.
Both vaccines can prevent 4 types of meningococcal disease, including 2 of the 3 types most common in the U.S. (serogroup C, Y, and W-135) and a type that causes epidemics in Africa (serogroup A).

Meningococcal vaccines cannot prevent all types of the disease. But they do protect many people who might become sick if they didn't get the vaccine. Meningitis cases should be reported to state or local health departments to assure follow-up of close contacts and recognize outbreaks.
MCV4 is recommended for all children at their routine preadolescent visit (11 to 12 years of age).

For those who have never gotten MCV4 previously, a dose is recommended at high school entry. Other adolescents who want to decrease their risk of meningococcal disease can also get the vaccine.

Other people at increased risk for whom routine vaccination is recommended are college freshmen living in dormitories, microbiologists who are routinely exposed to meningococcal bacteria, U.S. military recruits, anyone who has a damaged spleen or whose spleen has been removed; anyone who has terminal complement component deficiency (an immune system disorder), anyone who is traveling to the countries which have an outbreak of meningococcal disease, and those who might have been exposed to meningitis during an outbreak.

MCV4 is the preferred vaccine for people 11 to 55 years of age in these risk groups, but MPSV4 can be used if MCV4 is not available.
MPSV4 should be used for children 2 to 10 years old, and adults over 55, who are at risk.

Although large epidemics of meningococcal meningitis do not occur in the United States, some countries experience large, periodic epidemics.

Overseas travelers should check to see if meningococcal vaccine is recommended for their destination.

Travelers should receive the vaccine at least 1 week before departure, if possible. Information on areas for which meningococcal vaccine is recommended can be obtained by calling the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at (404)-332-4565.

There are vaccines to prevent meningitis due to S. pneumoniae (also called pneumococcal meningitis) which can also prevent other forms of infection due to S. pneumoniae.

The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is recommended for all persons over 65 years of age and younger persons at least 2 years old with certain chronic medical problems.

There is a newly licensed vaccine (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine) that appears to be effective in infants for the prevention of pneumococcal infections and is routinely recommended for all children younger than 2 years of age.


Vaccines are also available against some of the bacteria that can cause meningitis. A vaccine against one strain of Haemophilus influenzae, once the most common cause of bacterial meningitis, was introduced during the 1980s and has been a part of routine childhood immunization in the United States since 1990.

This vaccine has dramatically reduced the number of cases of bacterial meningitis. Vaccines also exist for certain strains of Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae but are not a part of routine immunization.

The Neisseria meningitidis vaccine is given to military recruits and people who are planning travel to areas of the world where outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis are common. The Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine is recommended for people over age 65.