Identifying UK travellers at increased risk of developing pneumococcal infection: a novel algorithm

Area of Science:

• Travel Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Vaccinology

Background:

• The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) for travellers over 65 in 2016.
• The recommendation targeted travel to countries lacking infant PCV immunization programs.
• This study addresses the need to identify specific countries posing increased pneumococcal infection risk for UK travellers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review evidence on pneumococcal disease and PCV vaccine programs globally.
• To develop an algorithm for classifying country-specific risks for UK adult travellers.
• To inform the implementation of JCVI recommendations for PCV13 in travellers.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic search of global data on pneumococcal disease and PCV vaccine implementation.
• Utilized World Health Organization and International Vaccine Access Centre databases.
• Classified 188 countries into 'high', 'intermediate', and 'low' overall risk categories based on an developed algorithm.

Main Results:

• A total of 228 countries were searched, with risk scores calculated for 188.
• 45 countries were classified as 'high overall risk'.
• 86 countries were 'intermediate overall risk', 57 'low overall risk', and 40 'unknown'.

Conclusions:

• This is the first global categorization of pneumococcal infection risk for UK adult travellers by country.
• Findings can guide national travel advisory bodies and vaccine providers.
• Identifies travellers who could benefit from PCV immunization.