Until 2000, pneumococcal infections caused 60,000 cases of invasive disease such as meningitis and pneumonia each year. An “invasive” disease means that germs invade parts of the body that are normally free from germs. When this happens, disease is usually very severe, requiring treatment in a hospital and in some cases causing death. You have probably heard of pneumonia, which is an infection of the lungs. Pneumonia can be caused by many different bacteria, viruses, and even fungi, but pneumococcus is one of the most common causes of severe pneumonia. Many bacteria, including some Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), have become resistant to one or many antibiotics. Available data also show that up to 40% of these infections were caused by pneumococcal bacteria that were resistant to at least one antibiotic. However, with the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines for children (PCV7 and PCV13), cases of invasive pneumococcal disease dropped to approximately 34,000 in 2013, and resistance rates have reduced to 30%.
This demonstrates that PCV7 and PCV13 are preventing infections caused by drug-resistant pneumococcal strains. Not only have morbidity and mortality rates decreased, costs associated with the infection have plummeted as well. These higher costs were because of the need for more expensive antibiotics; repeat disease due to treatment failures; the need for surveillance to track resistance patterns; educational requirements for patients, physicians, and microbiologists; and new antibiotic drug development. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13 or Prevnar 13®) protects against the 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria that cause most of the severe illness in children and adults. The vaccine can also help prevent some ear infections. PCV13 is recommended for all children at 2, 4, and 6 months, and again at 12-15 months old. PCV13 is also recommended for adults 19 years or older with certain medical conditions and in all adults 65 years or older. By getting vaccinated, you can help Nevada reduce its rate of pneumococcal infections, and curb the increasing rate of antibiotic resistance. For more information, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/pneumococcal/about/infection-types.html http://www.cdc.gov/pneumococcal/drug-resistance.html
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AuthorOPHIE records and analyzes data from disease investigations, identifies risk factors, and provides education on disease prevention in Nevada. Archives
November 2018
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