+ 1 more offer it outside the routine schedule
What the MenACWY and MenC vaccines protects against
Protects against four groups (A, C, W and Y) of meningococcal bacteria.
Also known as: Nimenrix, Menveo, MenQuadfi
Why children are given it
Rates of meningococcal disease rise again in the late teens, particularly among students in shared accommodation. Group W disease increased in several countries, prompting a switch from MenC-only to the broader ACWY vaccine for adolescents.
From each country's official schedule, checked against its sources (last full check 2026-09-16). Tap a country for its whole schedule and a personalised timeline.
| Country | Routine doses |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 14 years (school year 9) (1 dose)
MenACWY vaccine |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 11 to 12 years (1st of 2) Meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) 16 years (2nd of 2 (booster))
Meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 12 months (1 dose) Meningococcal C conjugate (Men-C-C) Grade 6 (around 11-12 years) (1 dose)
Meningococcal ACWY (Men-C-ACYW) |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 12 months (1 dose) Meningococcal ACWY 14 to 16 years (school program) (Adolescent dose)
Meningococcal ACWY |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇮🇳 India | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 11 months (1 dose) Meningococcal C (MenC) 12 to 14 years (1 dose)
Meningococcal ACWY |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 13 months (1 dose) MenC 1st year of secondary school (around 12-13) (1 dose)
MenACWY |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Not on the routine schedule
Also offered: Meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) - 13 to 25 years entering shared accommodation (university halls, boarding school, barracks). Funded for young people in close-living settings, where meningococcal disease spreads more easily. Not part of the routine childhood schedule. |
| 🇫🇷 France | 6 months (1st of 2) Meningococcal ACWY 12 months (2nd of 2 (booster))
Meningococcal ACWY booster |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 14 months (1st of 2) MenACWY 14 years (2nd of 2)
MenACWY (adolescent dose) |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 3 months (1st of 2 + booster) Meningococcal C (conjugate) 5 months (2nd of 2) Meningococcal C (conjugate) 12 months (Booster) Meningococcal C booster 9 to 14 years (Adolescent dose)
Meningococcal ACWY |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | Not on the routine schedule |
Good to know
- "Men" means meningococcal, a type of bacteria - it is not about boys or men.
- Cases of meningococcal disease rise again in the late teens, especially among students in shared accommodation, which is why many countries give MenACWY around 13 to 15.
- Several countries have replaced the older MenC vaccine with MenACWY because it covers four groups instead of one.
Side effects: what is normal
- Soreness, redness or swelling where the injection was given.
- Headache, tiredness or a mild fever for a day or two, especially in teenagers.
Most side effects are mild and pass within a day or two. Get medical advice straight away if your child has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or mouth, a fit, a temperature of 38°C or more in a baby under 3 months, or you are worried in any way. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Your doctor, nurse, health visitor or pharmacist can advise on your own child.
It depends on the country. Across the 9 countries that include it on their routine schedule, the first dose is given from 3 months to 14 years (school year 9). In the UK it is given at 14 years (school year 9). In the US it is given at 11 to 12 years, 16 years. The table on this page shows every country.
Routine schedules give 1 to 4 doses in childhood, depending on the country and the product used. Combination vaccines can mean one injection counts towards several diseases.
It is routine in 9 of the 14 countries on this site. New Zealand offers it to particular groups of children (for example by season, health condition or risk). We do not currently list it on the childhood schedule for South Africa, India, Russia and Singapore - some countries run separate regional, seasonal or risk-group programmes, so ask your local clinic.
Yes. Vaccines on the childhood schedule are given by age, not by sex - girls and boys receive the same doses at the same ages.
It is almost never too late to catch up, and a missed dose rarely means starting again - your doctor or nurse will continue from where your child left off. A few vaccines (such as rotavirus) have upper age limits. Contact your clinic to book a catch-up appointment.
- United Kingdom - NHS / UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
- United States - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / ACIP
- Canada - Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) / National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)
- Australia - Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care - National Immunisation Program (NIP)
- Germany - Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute / ECDC
- Ireland - Health Service Executive (HSE) / National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC)
- France - Ministere de la Sante / Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) - calendrier vaccinal
- Netherlands - RIVM - National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma)
- Brazil - Ministerio da Saude - Programa Nacional de Imunizacoes (PNI)
- South Africa - National Department of Health - Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI-SA)
- India - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)
- Russia - Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation - National Preventive Vaccination Calendar
- New Zealand - Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora / Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC)
- Singapore - Ministry of Health (MOH) / Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) - National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS)
- NHS - MenACWY and MenC vaccines (side effects and more)
- NHS - NHS vaccinations and when to have them
- CDC - Possible side effects from vaccines
- WHO - Vaccines and immunization
How we research and check this information: our editorial policy.
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