PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE - a significant concern to children’s health worldwide

Abstract

Pneumococcal disease is estimated to result in more than one million deaths each year in young children in developing countries, mostly due to pneumonia. In industrialised nations, the annual incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children younger than two years of age may be as high as 160 cases per 100 000. Furthermore, antibiotic-resistant strains have made treatment of pneumococcal infections increasingly difficult. As a result, the need for an effective vaccine is especially important.