Prevention of Meningococcal Disease by Group C Polysaccharide Vaccine

TLDR

Group C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine was administered to 13,763 Army recruits (20 % of 68,072) at five basic training centers. The vaccine produced an 87 % statistically significant reduction in Group C meningococcal disease, with only one case among 13,763 vaccinated recruits versus 38 in non‑immunized, no systemic reactions, while Group B disease rates were similar in both groups, confirming specificity, and carrier acquisition was markedly reduced.

Abstract

Group C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine was administered to 13,763 Army recruit volunteers at five basic training centers. These men represented 20 per cent of 68,072 recruits under observation. Only minor local erythema occurred; no systemic reactions to the vaccine developed in these men. Thirty-eight bacteriologically proved cases of Group C meningococcal disease developed in the nonimmunized men; only one such case occurred in a vaccinated recruit. The 87 per cent reduction in Group C disease was statistically significant. Group B meningococci caused illness in four immunized and three control recruits, indicating the group specificity of the vaccine. Group C carrier acquisitions among vaccinated persons were markedly reduced.