Pneumococcal disease

Diseases caused by pneumococcus are often life-threatening. Antibiotics and pneumococcal vaccines save many lives every year. The best efficiency of pneumococcal vaccines has been found in invasive pneumococcal diseases, not so much in milder diseases such as middle ear infection.

Pneumococcal vaccines are included in the pediatric vaccination programme in the majority of developed countries and are also strongly recommended by the World Health Organization to anyone over 65 years of age. In post-viral pneumococcal infection, the benefits of pneumococcal vaccines have been demonstrated, at least in the prevention of complications following influenza, metapneumovirus, and RSV disease. The pneumococcal vaccin is suitable for adults under 65 years as well.