Decline in Pneumococcal Meningitis Following Introduction of Conjugate Vaccine

Vaccinating children has led to a 30% decline in the overall rate of pneumococcal meningitis in children and adults.

The pediatric heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced in 2000 in the U.S. Investigators analyzed data from eight U.S. surveillance sites to estimate the effect of the vaccine on the incidence of bacterial meningitis in children and adults.

The overall incidence of pneumococcal meningitis declined 30% between 1998 and 2005 (from 1.13 cases to 0.79 case per 100,000 persons). The decline was greatest among children younger than 2 years (64%) and adults aged 65 or older (54%). The overall incidence of PCV7-serotype disease dropped 73%, and the incidence of PCV7-related–serotype disease dropped 32%. However, during the same period, rates of non-PCV7–serotype disease increased 60% (from 0.32 to 0.51 per 100,000 persons). T…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Decline in Pneumococcal Meningitis Following Introduction of Conjugate Vaccine

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Reviewing Author