The meningitis vaccine, also known as the MenACWY vaccine, protects against four of the meningococcal strains of bacteria that cause meningitis - A, C, W and Y. "One in ten people in the general population carry these bacteria harmlessly in the back of their nose and throat. In teens however, where activities like kissing and sharing drinks mean it gets passed around more readily, one in four people carry the bacteria - which increases the risk of passing it on," says Claire Wright, evidence and policy manager from the Meningitis Research Foundation.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/news-and-features/do-you-need-the-meningitis-jab