Few would argue that meningococcal disease represents one of the more challenging bacterial infections encountered by health care professionals. This disease is caused by the gram-negative diplococcus bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, which colonizes humans exclusively and is estimated to be carried, primarily in the nasopharynx, by 5% to 10% of the general population. The infection is highly contagious and is transferred from person to person in droplets of respiratory or throat secretions. Up to 2800 cases of invasive meningococcal disease occur each year in the US, with the most vulnerable age groups being infants less than 1 year old (16% of cases) and adolescents and young adults between the ages of 14 and 24 years (20% of cases). The seriousness of this disease derives from its high fatality rate (10%-14%) and the high rate of disability, including limb loss, neurologic deficit, and deafness (11%-19%), associated with survivors. Importantly, meningococcal disease is not caused by a single-strain pathogen, but by 13 serogroups, of which 5 (MenABCYW-135) cause the vast majority (95%) of meningococcal disease worldwide.

Several factors have made it difficult for primary care physicians to keep abreast of optimal preventive strategies addressing the threat of meningococcal disease. One is the fact that it is caused by multiple serogroups of meningococcus. Another is lack of understanding and/or under-appreciation of the benefit/risk of vaccination in specific patient subgroups, particularly pre-adolescents. Other factors include the development of newer vaccines, numerous studies of their efficacy and safety, as well as rapidly evolving recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). This program will provide the physician with knowledge of the most current guidelines of the CDC and ACIP, and understanding of the factors affecting the choice of vaccine and follow-up needed. It will also provide physicians specific resources for maintaining currency in this area, as well as tools for increasing their patients' awareness of, and access to, vaccination against the broadest range of meningococcal serogroups.

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Identify patient groups at high risk for meningococcal infection and employ effective screening procedures and routine review of immunization records to ensure appropriate vaccination rates
• Understand the correspondence between the strains or serogroups of N meningitidis prevalent in the US, and the characteristics such as vaccine class (polysaccharide, conjugate), specificity for one or more strains, efficacy, and safety of the currently approved vaccines

Lee H. Harrison, MD
Professor and Head
Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Research Unit
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA

Robert B. Belshe, MD
Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Microbiology
St. Louis University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO

The Chatham Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Chatham Institute designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

It is the policy of The Chatham Institute to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. All faculty, planners, and managers who affect the content of medical education activities sponsored by The Chatham Institute are required to disclose to the audience any real or apparent conflict of interest related to the activity. Faculty, planners, and managers not complying with the disclosure policy will not be permitted to participate in this activity. Program faculty and planners have disclosed the financial relationships with commercial interests cited below. All program content has been peer reviewed for balance and any potential bias. The conflict of interest resolution process aims to ensure that financial relationships with commercial interests and resultant loyalties do not supersede the public interest in the design and delivery of continuing medical education activities for the profession. Please find the faculty disclosures below.

THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL ON VACCINE EDUCATION PLANNING COMMITTEE DISCLOSURES

Philip L. Barkley, MD
Director and Associate Professor
Student Health Care Center
University of Florida
Alachua, FL

Speaker Bureaus: Merck and sanofi-pasteur

Robert B. Belshe, MD
Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Microbiology
St. Louis University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO

Speaker Bureaus: MedImmune, LLC, Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC
Advisory Boards: MedImmune, LLC, Merck & Co., Inc., and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Consultant: MedImmune, LLC, Merck & Co., Inc., and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

Daniel N. Duch, PhD
Medical Director
The Chatham Institute
Chatham, NJ

Dr. Duch has nothing to disclose

Christine M. Grant, JD, MBA
CEO
InfecDetect
Princeton, NJ

Stocks: Abbott Laboratories, Baxter International Inc., Genentech, Inc., Hoffman-La Roche, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Novo Nordisk, sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

Lee H. Harrison, MD
Professor and Head
Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Research Unit
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA

Speaker Bureaus: Sanofi Pasteur Inc. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Advisory Boards: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Sanofi Pasteur Inc.
Consultant: GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Inc., and Sanofi Pasteur Inc.
Research Grants: Sanofi Pasteur Inc.

James W. Howatt, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer
Molina Healthcare
Long Beach, CA

Advisory Boards: Teva

Jeff D. Januska, PharmD
Director of Pharmacy
Santa Barbara Regional Health Authority
Ventura, CA

Advisory Boards: Abbott Laboratories, Forest Laboratories, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Michael A. Kaufman, MD, JD
Senior Medical Director
United Health Group
Newport Coast, CA

Dr. Kaufman has nothing to disclose

Catherine O'Keefe, DNP, APRN
Associate Professor/Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Creighton University Medical Center
Omaha, NE

Research Grants: GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

Steven R. Peskin, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer
The Chatham Institute
Chatham, NJ

Dr. Peskin has nothing to disclose

Richard A. Reinking, MD
Physician
Warren Clinic, St. Francis Health System
Tulsa, OK

Dr. Reinking has nothing to disclose

Sandra F. Ryan, RN, MSN, CPNP
Chief Nurse Practitioner Officer
Take Care Health Systems, LLC
Medford, NJ

Ms. Ryan has nothing to disclose

Stanford T. Shulman, MD
Virginia H. Rogers Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL

Speaker Bureaus: GlaxoSmithKline and Merck & Co., Inc.
Advisory Board: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation

Deborah L. Wexler, MD
Founder and Executive Director
Immunization Action Coalition
St. Paul, MN

Dr. Wexler has nothing to disclose

Neil L. Youngerman, MD
Pediatrician
Somerset Pediatric Group
Hillsborough, NJ

Dr. Youngerman has nothing to disclose

This program is sponsored by The Chatham Institute. The activity is supported through an educational grant from Novartis Vaccines.