Adnkronos Rome, October 24 (Adnkronos Salute) – "Meningococcal disease remains rare, but when it does occur, it can be fatal in a very high percentage of cases. This is why it is essential to achieve higher vaccination coverage, ideally close to 95%, as is the case with mandatory vaccinations." The appeal was launched by Paolo Castiglia, full professor of Hygiene at the University of Sassari, speaking at the SITI-Italian Society of Hygiene Congress, currently underway in Bologna.
According to Castiglia, the meningococcal vaccine "suffers from lower uptake than others, such as the pneumococcal vaccine, which benefits from co-administration with the hexavalent vaccine in childhood." The expert therefore calls for "identifying new organizational and communication tools to restore coverage, because every missed vaccination is a potential life-threatening risk," he warns. "We cannot settle for modest percentages: the goal must be collective protection."
In this regard, Castiglia believes that informing parents and integrating vaccination schedules can be "fundamental levers for bringing the country back to recommended levels." In particular, meningococcal vaccination is "strongly recommended" during adolescence, which, after early childhood, represents the second highest incidence of meningococcal disease," the hygienist observes, "as well as being the age with the highest prevalence and highest mortality rate. These recommendations," he continues, "were provided by the National Vaccination Prevention Plan, empowering Regions, based on their epidemiological context, to promote this vaccination. We currently have two vaccines that are safe and effective for this age group. One of these is the one that has already been used in infancy or preschool: those who have already had this vaccine," the specialist advises, "can simply get a booster dose. Those who have never been vaccinated should begin a new series of two doses."
"Some regions offer this vaccination free of charge," Castiglia points out, "others are introducing it. Parents who wish to vaccinate their adolescent children should therefore contact their local health services to find out the current availability in their region. In any case, if the vaccination hasn't yet been offered and they wish to receive it, they can pay a fee." The hope is that "all regions will soon offer it free of charge, along with other adolescent vaccinations."