Pneumococcal vaccine

Pneumococcal infection is responsible for a wide range of diseases, including upper respiratory tract infections such as otitis media and sinusitis, pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections, and the disseminated infections of bacteremia and meningitis. Invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia, which represent the threat of serious morbidity and mortality, occur most frequently in certain age groups, selected ethnic populations, and individuals with chronic medical diseases or immunosuppression. There are two pneumococcal vaccines currently available, Pneumovax 23 and Pnu-Immune 23. Indications for vaccination include medical conditions that make individuals susceptible to invasive pneumococcal disease (eg, chronic cardiac, pulmonary, or hepatic disease; sickle-cell disease; insulin-dependent diabetes; immunosuppressive disorders; age >65 years; or history of splenectomy). Approximately 85%-90% of the pneumococcal serotypes that cause invasive infection in the United States are represented in the pneumococcal vaccine. Pneumococcal vaccines with improved immunogenicity and potentially improved efficacy against this deadly pathogen are currently under investigation. Millions of individuals at high risk for pneumococcal disease in the United States have not yet received the vaccine. After invasive infection, mortality is high, with an estimated 40,000 deaths annually in this country. With the pneumococcal vaccine's safety profile and proven efficacy against invasive disease in appropriate populations, it is imperative that the medical community improve its effort to vaccinate those individuals considered to be at risk for life-threatening pneumococcal disease.