Are you sure that your child is protected against meningitisB?

Meningitis: Is it preventable? Meningitis is a vaccine preventable disease.2

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Meningitis: what is it?

Meningitis is an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and the spinal cord: the meninges.1 The bacteria responsible for meningococcal meningitis is called Neisseria Meningitidis.2

There are several serotypes of N. meningitidis which can cause the disease (A,B,C,W,Y). Among them, the serotype B is the most frequent both in Italy and Europe.3,4

Luckily, vaccines are available to protect against the most frequent meningococcal serotypes; they are recommended and offered for free by the National Health System.8

Shield

anti-meningococcal B vaccination, recommended for all the newborns starting from 2 months of life;8

Vaccination during adolescence is recommended and is already active in some regions.9

Who is at risk?

Meningitis can occur at any age.
Children under 1 year of age are at higher risk.1,2,4

kid

Greater number of cases <8 month of life. 5

Promptly vaccination is pivotal to protect your child against meningitis B and its consequences.2,7

Meningitis can have a very rapid course

AMONG PEOPLE GETTING THE DISEASE:

24h
Uno su dieci
Uno su cinque

It is a sufficient period of time to develop severe symptoms which can result as fatal.6

1 person in 10 will die10

1 person in 5 will develop permanent consequences:2,7 hearing loss2,7,scaring2,7, neurological problems2,7

TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR

Make sure that your child is protected against meningitis B and remember that it is not only important to start the vaccine cycle, but also to complete it as scheduled.8

Bibliografia

  1. FAQ - Meningite. Ministero della Salute (https://www.salute.gov.it/new/it/faq/faq-meningite/ - ultimo accesso luglio 2025);
  2. World Health Organization (WHO), Meningitis, 2025 – Link al sito: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/meningitis - Data di ultimo accesso: 25/07/2025;
  3. Malattie batteriche invasive (sepsi e meningiti). Epicentro (https://www.epicentro.iss.it/meningite/ - ultimo accesso luglio 2025);
  4. Sorveglianza delle Malattie Batteriche Invasive in Italia (Rapporto 2023) - (https://www.iss.it/-/rapporto-mabi-2023 - ultimo accesso luglio 2025);
  5. Azzari C et al. - Effectiveness and Impact of the 4CMenB Vaccine against Group B Meningococcal Disease in Two Italian Regions Using Different Vaccination Schedules: A Five-Year Retrospective Observational Study (2014-2018). Vaccines, 8(3), 469;
  6. Thompson, Matthew J et al. “Clinical recognition of meningococcal disease in children and adolescents.” Lancet (London, England) vol. 367,9508 (2006): 397-403;
  7. Rosenstein NE et al. NEJM (2001);344(18):1378-1388;
  8. Piano Nazionale di Prevenzione Vaccinale (PNPV) vigente;
  9. Calendario Vaccinale per la Vita, 5° edizione 2025;
  10. Wang, Bing et al. “Case fatality rates of invasive meningococcal disease by serogroup and age: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Vaccine vol. 37,21 (2019): 2768-2782.