New vaccination requirements for infants against meningococcus: what changes from January 1, 2025

As of January 1, 2025, newborns will have to be vaccinated against meningococcus ACWY and meningococcus B.

Starting January 1, 2025, vaccination requirements against meningococcal infections will change for infants, the Ministry of Health and Access to Healthcare announced in a press release on Thursday, December 19.

Currently, only vaccination against meningococcus C has been mandatory for newborns since 2018, and recommended for children and young adults up to the age of 24 in the absence of infection during childhood.

Two new vaccines

As of 2025, vaccination against meningococcus ACWY will become mandatory, with a first dose administered at 6 months and a second at 12 months. This measure extends protection to serogroups A, W and Y, in addition to C.

At the same time, vaccination against meningococcus B will also be made mandatory. Infants will have to receive a first injection at 3 months, a second at 6 months, and a third at 12 months. Until the end of 2024, this vaccine remains only “strongly recommended” by the health authorities.

For children who have already received a first dose against meningococcus C before January 1, 2025, a second injection will be necessary in 2025, in addition to vaccination against meningococcus ACWY.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

These new obligations respond to the recommendations made in March 2024 by the High Authority for Health (HAS). Frédéric Valletoux, then Minister Delegate for Health, had committed to following them.

“This decision aims to better protect infants against these serious infections, in the face of a worrying resurgence in recent years“, specifies the ministry. Among the cases on the rise, infections due to serogroups W and Y are particularly worrying because of their mortality rate, which is twice as high as other types of meningococcal infections.

A transmission by close contact

Meningococcal infections, caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, are transmitted by close and prolonged contact with a carrier, particularly via coughing or spitting.

Of the 12 serogroups identified, strains A, B, C, W and Y are responsible for almost all invasive infections, indicates Public Health France. These infections are usually manifest as meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord) or septicemia.

Around 500 serious cases per year in France

Each year, around 500 serious cases of meningococcal infections are recorded in France, according to vaccination-info-service.fr. Two-thirds manifest as meningitis, the rest as septicemia.

Infants, young children aged 1 to 4, and adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 are most exposed to these serious infections.

These new vaccination measures aim to significantly reduce the risks for these most vulnerable populations.