Available for private purchase in Spain since 2015, the 4-component, protein-based meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (4CMenB; Bexsero) was effective in a case–control study for preventing invasive disease by serogroup B and non–serogroup B meningococci in children younger than 5 years of age.
Analysis of all laboratory-confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease in children younger than 60 months of age in Spain between Oct. 5, 2015, and Oct. 6, 2019, produced these results: “We compared 306 case patients (243 [79.4%] with serogroup B disease) with 1,224 controls. A total of 35 case patients (11.4%) and 298 controls (24.3%) had received at least one dose of 4CMenB. The effectiveness of complete vaccination with 4CMenB (defined as receipt of at least 2 doses, administered in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations) was 76% (95% confidence interval [CI], 57 to 87) against invasive meningococcal disease caused by any serogroup, and partial vaccination was 54% (95% CI, 18 to 74) effective. Complete vaccination resulted in an effectiveness of 71% (95% CI, 45 to 85) against meningococcal serogroup B disease. Vaccine effectiveness with at least one dose of 4CMenB was 64% (95% CI, 41 to 78) against serogroup B disease and 82% (95% CI, 21 to 96) against non–serogroup B disease. With the use of the genetic Meningococcal Antigen Typing System, serogroup B strains that were expected to be covered by 4CMenB were detected in 44 case patients, none of whom had been vaccinated.”