[Vaccination and the respiratory tract--what should we know?]

This article aims at presenting a review of the main vaccines used in the pediatric population with direct impact on the prevention of infectious processes of the respiratory tract in children.

Data from articles published in national and international scientific journals. The data were selected by means of direct search or search in the Lilacs and Medline databases.

This article was structured in topics, presenting issues related to immunization against frequent pathogens of the respiratory tract in human beings: Haemophilus influenza, influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

The prevention of respiratory diseases through immunization is one of the main measures for the control of respiratory infection. These new vaccines, especially against Haemophilus influenza, have been available for some years with acknowledged efficacy. Now, the vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae (heptavalent vaccine) leads to a new perspective towards the management of respiratory diseases in children. In risk populations, the control of viral diseases through immunization, actively against the influenza virus and passively against the syncytial respiratory virus, is also an efficient measure to reduce respiratory disease.