Meningococcal Vaccine A Dosing Schedule for Children

General Recommendations for MenA Vaccination

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthy children receive MenACWY (which includes serogroup A) at age 11-12 years with a booster dose at age 16-18 years 1
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children who receive their first dose at age 13-15 years should receive a booster at age 16-18 years (at least 8 weeks or up to 5 years after the first dose) 1
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that adolescents who receive their first dose at or after 16 years of age do not need a booster dose 1

For infants and children at increased risk for meningococcal disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following MenACWY-CRM schedules:
- If first dose at age 2 months, administer 4 doses at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months 2, 3
- If first dose at age 3-6 months, follow catch-up schedule with doses at intervals of 8 weeks until age ≥7 months, then an additional dose at age ≥7 months, followed by a dose at least 12 weeks later and after the 1st birthday 2
- If first dose at age 7-23 months, administer 2 doses with the second dose at least 12 weeks after the first and after the 1st birthday 2
- For children ≥9 months, administer 2 doses of MenACWY-D at least 12 weeks apart 2, 3

The American Academy of Pediatrics prefers conjugate vaccines (MenACWY) over polysaccharide vaccines (MPSV4) for all age groups due to their T-cell dependent mechanism that provides more robust immunity and memory 1
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that MenACWY-D should be given either before or at the same time as DTaP to avoid interference with the immune response to meningococcal vaccine 2
For children with functional or anatomic asplenia or HIV infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that MenACWY-D should not be administered before age 2 years to avoid interference with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) 2

During outbreaks attributable to serogroup A, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children aged 2-23 months should receive MenACWY-D (if ≥9 months) with 2 doses at least 12 weeks apart, or MenACWY-CRM according to age-specific schedules 2, 3
For children aged 2-9 years during outbreaks, a single dose of MenACWY-D, MenACWY-CRM, or MenACWY-TT is recommended 3

When administering MenACWY-D to children with asplenia or HIV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends ensuring it is given at least 4 weeks after completion of all PCV doses to avoid immune interference 2