Vaccination against meningitis, currently compulsory in infants only for a family of bacteria, will be expanded from the beginning of 2025 in the face of the rebound in these serious infections, according to a new vaccination schedule published Friday by the health authorities. Vaccination of children under one year of age against meningococci A, B, W and Y – as well as C – will be compulsory from next year, and largely reimbursed by health insurance, as recommended by the High Authority of Health.
Counteract the strong rebound in bacterial meningitis caused by meningococci
Currently, only anti-meningococcal C vaccination is obligatory for children under one year of age; vaccination against B is only recommended. A single vaccine, called tetravalent, will now target A, C, W and Y. Given separately in three successive doses (3, 5 and 12 months), another will always target strain B. The objective is to counter the strong rebound in bacterial meningitis caused by meningococci, generally much more serious than viral meningitis, and the rise of the Y and W meningococcal families.
The vaccine targeting the four strains of meningococci, ACWY, is also recommended for adolescents aged 11 to 14, and a catch-up for those aged 15-24. The calendar, published on the occasion of European Vaccination Week, brings together all the general and specific vaccination recommendations (increased risks of complications, exposure or transmission), applicable according to age. It includes new features to “better protect” against pneumococcal infections but also against measles and shingles, according to a press release from the Ministry of Health and Public Health France.
The level of vaccination of the French “must further improve”
Against pneumococci in infants and adults, a new conjugate vaccine (15-valent Vaxneuvance®) has been integrated. “When it becomes available and covered” by health insurance, this vaccine and another conjugate vaccine (13-valent Prevenar13®) can be used interchangeably, in particular for the compulsory vaccination of infants born since January 1, 2018. In adults, a new conjugate vaccine (20-valent Prevenar 20), with a single dose, makes it possible to simplify the current schedule. “As soon as it is available and supported” it may be used preferentially.
Against shingles, a new vaccine (Shingrix), to be favored in those aged 65 and over, is now integrated into the national strategy, and also recommended in immunocompromised adults. To strengthen protection against measles, which is on the rise, an additional dose of MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine is recommended for people born after 1980 and who received a first vaccination before the age of one.
The level of vaccination of the French progressed in 2023 but “must still improve” against certain infections, particularly those on the rise such as measles, according to a report published by Public Health France on Monday. Since 2022, an electronic vaccination record, included in “My health space”, allows professionals and users to provide information on vaccinations carried out and know the next ones planned according to age.