About Meningitis B

Supported by the Indiana Immunization Coalition, and in partnership with the Maryland Partnership for Prevention as well as the Pennsylvania Immunization Coalition, Beware of B was first rolled out in 2015 to raise awareness among parents and students that two different vaccines (MenACWY and meningitis B) are needed for full protection against the five most common types of meningococcal disease.

In its early phases, the campaign challenged universities across the country to mandate the meningitis B vaccine. Since then, 25 schools across the country have added the meningitis B vaccination to the required list of vaccinations for admittance, and almost all recommend it.

Meningococcal disease is a life-threatening bacterial infection that results in the inflammation of the protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord and can lead to a possible infection in the bloodstream. Each year, approximately 1,000 people contract a form of meningococcal disease in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has found that among those who become infected, 10 to 15 percent will die. Of those who survive, another 20 percent will suffer from permanent disabilities, such as brain damage, loss of limbs, hearing loss and/or other serious impacts to the nervous system.

There are at least 12 strains of meningococcal disease, and the most commonly recommended meningococcal conjugate vaccine protects against four (A, C, W and Y). But just being vaccinated against those four strains is not enough. Meningitis B, which is not covered in the standard vaccine, is responsible for 100 percent of all meningococcal outbreaks on college campuses in the U.S. since 2011.  A vaccine to protect against meningitis B became available in the United States in 2014.

The Beware of B campaign is supported by a grant from Pfizer