Pneumonia vaccine trials at Tari

Pneumonia is the commonest cause of death of children in Papua New Guinea (PNG). At Tari pneumonia is most commonly caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, which set up rapid severe infections in the lungs that require urgent treatment. In rural PNG, however, treatment is often delayed. Penicillin-resistant forms of these bacteria are on the increase. It is therefore important to have another means of protection against this serious disease. This paper describes three field trials of a vaccine against the commonest serotypes of S. pneumoniae found in PNG. The trials show that a pneumococcal vaccine can prevent deaths from uncomplicated acute lower respiratory tract infection in small children and adults. It is likely that the vaccine does this by limiting the replication of bacteria in the lungs and thus limiting their spread to other parts of the body.