ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring the shortage of tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine on a biweekly basis and will announce a return to routine recommendations when the supply and demand situation improves, Dr. Gregory S. Wallace, of the CDC, told the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at its June meeting.
Availability of Sanofi Pasteur's Menactra vaccine will likely be limited through the fall of 2006, according to a statement from the Food and Drug Administration.
Licensed in January 2005, Menactra is indicated for active immunization of individuals aged 11–55 years against invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitis serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135. In May 2005, the CDC published ACIP's recommendation for its routine use in 11- to 12-year-olds, for high school entry in those previously unvaccinated, and for high-risk groups including college freshmen living in dormitories (MMWR 2005;54:1–21).
After the announcement of a supply problem earlier this year, the CDC published interim guidelines calling for the deferral of routine vaccination in 11- to 12- year-olds, but for continuation of immunization in the other recommended groups. The old tetravalent polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine (Menomune) is an acceptable alternative in certain high-risk situations, such as for a person traveling to an area where meningococcal disease is widely prevalent. However, that vaccine also is in short supply (MMWR 2006;55:567–8).