Epidemiology of Pneumococcal Disease in Children

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of invasive illness (meningitis and bacteremia) and the most common cause of noncomplicated pneumonia, sinusitis and otitis media in children worldwide. Even with the availability of effective antibiotics, mortality due to pneumococcal diseases remains high, emphasizing the need for prevention. The 7 valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine had a major impact on the incidence of invasive disease in vaccinated populations as a result of direct protection of the vaccinees and herd immunity. Further surveillance on S. pneumoniae is important to understand the consequences of emerging nonvaccine serotypes and the additional serotypes that should be incorporated into the second-generation vaccines.