The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approved age  range for Menactra, a bacterial meningitis vaccine, to include children ages 2  to 10 years.

First approved by FDA in January 2005, Menactra was initially  recommended for people ages 11 to 55 years. Previously, Menomune was the only  meningococcal vaccine available in the US for use in children ages 2 years  and older. Menactra and Menomune are both manufactured by sanofi pasteur Inc.,  (Swiftwater, PA) and both offer protection against four  groups of 

, the  bacterium that can cause meningitis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory  Committee on Immunization Practices currently recommends meningococcal  vaccination for children ages 2 to 10 years who are at increased risk of developing  meningococcal disease. Vaccination also is used to control outbreaks of  bacterial meningitis.

FDA and CDC will continue to monitor the safety of Menactra through  their jointly administered vaccine adverse event reporting system.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining that surrounds the spinal  cord and brain. It can result in death or permanent injury to the brain and  nervous system. In the US,  about 2,600 people become ill from bacterial meningitis annually. About 10  percent die from the infection and another 15 percent suffer brain damage or  limb amputation.

News

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approved age range for Menactra, a bacterial meningitis vaccine, to include children ages 2 to 10 years.