The meningitis C vaccine program introduced in the UK in 1999 has been successful in bringing down disease rates. A recent study indicates that vaccine remains effective 4 years later, provided that it was given at the appropriate age.
![Meningitis vaccine provides lasting protection Meningitis vaccine provides lasting protection](https://drop.ndtv.com/images/story-noimage.png?q=50)
Vaccine effectiveness remained high for children who received the vaccine between 5 months and 18 years of age as part of a catch-up program. Although a drop in effectiveness did occur during follow-up, the overall effectiveness was still high, 90 per cent after 4 years. In contrast, the vaccine's effectiveness fell rapidly in children who received the vaccine between 2 and 4 months of age as part of a routine immunization program. The overall effectiveness for this group was just 66 per cent. The results suggest that a booster dose for young infants at 13 to 15 months of age would probably solve the challenge of waning immunity in infants vaccinated at 2, 3, and 4 months of age.
June 2004
DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.