Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1557013
Invasive pneumococcal disease in children. A retrospective review (1993–2004) supporting universal immunization
Subject Editor:
Publication History
27 June 2006
31 October 2006
Publication Date:
28 July 2015 (online)
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to describe a series of children with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), evaluate the proportion with defined risks for pneumococcal disease and to assess the impact of the new UK pneumococcal vaccination schedule in preventing IPD. We conducted a review of case notes of children aged 0–16 years admitted to a large district general/teaching hospital in East Birmingham from September 1993-December 2004. Fifty-six children were identified with IPD; case notes were available for 54 children (55 episodes). The median age at diagnosis was 15 months (inter-quartile range 8–37.5 months). Only 14 (26%) had pre-existing risk factors for developing IPD. A significant age difference was found between those with co-existing risk factors and those without (median 37 months vs. 11 months; P < 0.05). Twenty-one (72%) of the cases where serotypes were known, had serotypes covered by the 7-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine and 28 (97%) covered by the polysaccharide vaccine. However most would not have benefited from the polysaccharide vaccine since 32 (59%) were less than 2 years of age at the time of the episode of IPD. Targeted pneumococcal vaccination might prevent less than 26% of cases of IPD in children. Incorporating the conjugate pneumococcal vaccine into the universal vaccination program might prevent 70% of IPD in children.