Sun 22 November 2009
The vaccines > Men C
Meningococcal Conjugate (MenC) vaccine protects against infection by meningococcal group C.
Meningococcal group C is a type of bacteria that can cause meningitis and septicaemia. The MenC vaccine does not protect against meningitis caused by other bacteria or by viruses.
MenC is a primary immunisation given to babies when they are 3 and 4 months old with a dose of the combined Hib/MenC vaccine being given at 12 months.
Three doses are given to make sure that your child's body can develop a good immune response to the disease. The gap between these different doses of vaccines is there to ensure that each dose has time to work.
MenC is also available to everyone under 25. While the risk of the disease is generally low in adults, there is a greater risk for people aged between 20 and 24. If you are in this age group and have
had the new MenC vaccine before, at school or higher education, you will not need to have the vaccine again.
Read about the Disease or the Vaccine or see if the information you are looking for is in the FAQ section.
For further information please see the Chief Medical Officer's, Preventing
Meningitis, which provides information about meningitis, its symptoms and the campaigns that have been organised to help fight the disease. It also includes information about meningococcal
septicaemia, the more life-threatening form of meningococcal disease.