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Indirect effects associated with widespread vaccination of infants with heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Daniel J Isaacman1, Mark A Fletcher, Bernard Fritzell

  • 1Global Medical Affairs, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, 500 Arcola Road, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA. ISAACMD@wyeth.com

Vaccine
|October 20, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Widespread use of Prevnar (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; PCV7) indirectly protects unvaccinated individuals by reducing disease transmission. This finding supports the cost-effectiveness of vaccination programs for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD).

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Vaccinology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Prevnar (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; PCV7) targets invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) caused by specific serotypes.
  • Indirect protection occurs when vaccination reduces pathogen transmission, benefiting unvaccinated populations.
  • Infants and young children are key reservoirs for vaccine-type pneumococcal bacteria.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review published data on IPD incidence in unvaccinated individuals.
  • To assess the indirect protection conferred by universal PCV7 vaccination programs.
  • To inform cost-benefit analyses of vaccination strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of published reports.
  • Analysis of IPD incidence data from 1998-2005.
  • Focus on non-immunised populations in countries with PCV7 programs.

Main Results:

  • Non-immunised individuals demonstrated a benefit from indirect protection.
  • Widespread PCV7 vaccination led to decreased transmission of vaccine serotypes.
  • This indirect effect enhances the economic justification for vaccination programs.

Conclusions:

  • Universal PCV7 vaccination provides significant indirect protection to unvaccinated individuals.
  • The findings support the value of PCV7 in public health interventions.
  • Ongoing surveillance is crucial for monitoring non-vaccine type IPD, especially in high-risk groups.

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