EFFECTIVENESS OF THE 13-VALENT PNEUMOCOCCAL CONJUGATE VACCINE: EMERGING DATA FROM INVASIVE PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE, PNEUMONIA, ACUTE OTITIS MEDIA AND NASOPHARYNGEAL CARRIAGE

Abstract

A new WHO position paper has been published recently stressing the high priority of the inclusion of PCVs in childhood immunization programs worldwide. Planning for national use of pneumococcal vaccines should take besides other factors the distribution of pneumococcal serotypes in different age groups into consideration. In addition to the serotypes included in PCV7, PCV13 contains serotypes 1, 3, 5, 6A, 7F and 19A and this vaccine provides the broadest serotype coverage of PCVs globally. In Europe and the US, the vaccine was approved in late 2009 and early 2010, respectively. Only two years after introduction of PCV13 introduction into many NIPs globally, vaccine effectiveness for the PCV13 serotypes has been documented for several clinical outcomes (invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), including sepsis/bacteremia and acute meningitis, community-acquired pneumonia, and acute otitis media) and nasopharyngeal carriage from several countries (USA, England and Wales, Germany, Spain, Uruguay, Israel). Moreover, serotype-specific effectiveness has been demonstrated for serotypes 1, 6A, 7F and 19A, which were the most prevalent and emerging serotypes pre-PCV13 immunization.

Keywords

• pneumococcal disease
• pneumococcal serotypes
• prevention
• pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
• children