BACKGROUND Recurrent protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB), chronic suppurative lung disease (CSLD) and bronchiectasis are characterised by a chronic wet cough and are important causes of childhood respiratory morbidity globally. Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae are the most commonly associated pathogens. As respiratory exacerbations impair quality of life and may be associat...

OBJECTIVE A decision-analytic model was constructed to evaluate the economic impact of post-introduction pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) programs in Ecuador, Honduras, and Paraguay from the societal perspective. METHODS Hypothetical birth cohorts were followed for a 20-year period in each country. Estimates of disease burden, vaccine effectiveness, and health care costs were derived from...

CONTEXT Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine is not perceived as a public health priority in Africa because data on Hib disease burden and vaccine effectiveness are scarce. Hib immunization was introduced in Kenyan infants in 2001. OBJECTIVE To define invasive Hib disease incidence and Hib vaccine program effectiveness in Kenya. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Culture-based s...

Since the global Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) was launched in 1974, vaccination against six diseases (tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and measles) has prevented millions of deaths and disabilities (1). Significant advances have been made in the development and introduction of vaccines, and licensed vaccines are now available to prevent 25 diseases (2,3). Historica...

BACKGROUND The ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) was introduced into the Finnish National Vaccination Program (NVP) in September 2010 using a 2+1 schedule (3, 5, 12 months). We estimated the direct and indirect effects of PCV10 on pneumonia among children to evaluate the public health impact of the vaccine. METHODS We conducted a nation-wide population-based, observational stu...

Applications of the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in the pediatric immunization schedule have dramatically reduced the incidence of pneumococcal diseases in both vaccinated children and unvaccinated individuals of all ages. However, increased infections caused by non-PCV7 serotypes have been reported by several groups. To overcome this problem, new vaccines covering more ser...

BACKGROUND Heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) shifts nasopharyngeal colonisation with vaccine serotype pneumococci towards nonvaccine serotypes. Because of the reported negative association of vaccine serotype pneumococci and Staphylococcus aureus in the nasopharynx, we explored the effect of PCV7 on nasopharyngeal colonisation with S. aureus in children and parents. METHODOLOG...

A description of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates over a 5-year period from blood culture and cerebrospinal fluid culture follows, in Pretoria South Africa January 2005 through December 2009. Isolates were identified using standard microbiological techniques, serotyped, and a MIC determined for penicillin and cefotaxime. A total of 177 isolates were included in the analysis. Eighty pe...

AIMS To ascertain whether the reduction in nasopharyngeal carriage of vaccine serotypes induced by pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PnCV) administered to infants persists beyond the age of 2 years. METHODS Non-randomised, unblinded controlled study of 2-5 year old children who had received three doses of heptavalent PnCV (7VPnCV) in infancy and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine at ...

The currently available 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) elicits good immune response to and is effective against vaccine serotypes. However, its effectiveness against vaccine-related serotypes is variable. Serum samples were obtained 1 month after the last vaccination from 31 infants immunized with PCV7 at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. The sera were used to determine immunoglobulin ...