U.S. Hospitalizations for Pneumonia after a Decade of Pneumococcal Vaccination

Pneumococcal vaccination has been associated with declines in pneumonia in both vaccinated and unvaccinated persons. In this study, U.S. hospitalizations for pneumonia were assessed before and after the initiation of the 7-valent pneumococcal vaccination program in children. The introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) into the U.S. infant immunization schedule in 2000 resulted in major reductions in the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in all age groups. 1 , 2 The marked decline in disease among unvaccinated persons in addition to those who were vaccinated is attributable to the indirect, or “herd,” protection provided by PCV7. By preventing the acquisition and carriage of vaccine serotypes in the nasopharynx of vaccinated children, PCV7 interfered with this key step in the pathogenesis of pneumococcal disease and reduced the transmission of vaccine serotypes. 3 – 6 Pneumococcal pneumonia accounts for 20 to . . .