• Adolescents (11- to 12-year-olds at their routine preadolescent checkup). If not previously vaccinated, adolescents should be vaccinated before they enter high school, at around 15 years of age.

• Other adolescents who want to lower their risk of meningococcal meningitis.
• People who have an elevated risk of meningococcal disease.
• College freshmen living in dormitories.
• Microbiologists who are routinely exposed to isolates of N. meningitidis.
• Military recruits.
• People who travel to, or live in, countries where meningococcal disease is very common.
• Anyone whose spleen has been damaged or removed and people with certain other immune system disorders.
• People advised to receive vaccination during an outbreak.
   

• Anyone who has ever had a severe (life-threatening) allergic reaction to a previous dose of either meningococcal vaccine should not get another dose.
   
• Anyone who has a severe (life-threatening) allergy to any vaccine component should not get the vaccine. Tell your doctor if you have any severe allergies.
   
• People who are moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled; in most cases, they should wait until they recover. People with a mild illness can usually get the vaccine.
   
• Meningococcal vaccines may be given to pregnant women. However, MCV-4 is a new vaccine and has not been studied in pregnant women as much as MPSV-4 has.