Vaccination against meningitis, currently compulsory in infants only for one family of bacteria, will be expanded from the start of 2025 in the face of the rebound in these serious infections, formalizes a new vaccination schedule published Friday April 26 by the health authorities.
Vaccination of children under one year old against meningococci A, B, W and Y – as well as C – will be compulsory from next year, as recommended by the High Health Authority. Currently, only anti-meningococcal C vaccination is obligatory for children under one year of age; vaccination against B is only recommended.
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 the B strain.
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.