VAXBaby 49: The Meningococcal Vaccine

The meningococcal vaccine is something a lot of parents ask about, so I’m going to go a bit more in depth than I have on some of the others. It’s officially recommended at 11-12 years old, and again at 16 years old, so if you’re just having a baby, you can probably skip this video for now—there’s a lot of information to take in. 11-12 years old may not feel like a PEDIATRIC vaccine, but pediatric medicine can refer to people as much as 21 years old. We often think of it as young children, but officially, I believe pediatric physicians in the U.S. have determined their care extends to 21. And just so you know about the pronunciation, there are at least two acceptable ways to say it: muh-NIN-juh-cock-uhl OR muh-NIN-GUH-cock-uhl. Juh or Guh. Most people have heard of meningitis, with a J, so I feel more comfortable calling it the muh-NIN-juh-cock-uhl vaccine.