What Every Mother Should Know About Invasive Pneumococcal Disease

What is it?

Streptococcuspneumoniae (pronouncedstrep-toh-kok-us nu-mo-nee-AY-ee), also known as pneumococcus or pneumococcal bacteria, is a leading cause of sickness and death worldwide. It is responsible for more than 1 million deaths annually - mostly from pneumonia - among infants and children younger than 5 years.1

S. pneumoniae is the leading cause of pediatric bacterial pneumonia and meningitis,2 as well as acute bacterial otitis media.3

What are the possible effects of some forms of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease?

The effects of some forms of IPD can be devastating, which makes prevention critical.1,4 These include the following:

• Deafness
• Mental Retardation
• Paralysis
• Death

What data are available regarding S. pneumoniae in the Philippines?

A study conducted among very young children by the ResearchInstitute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in the late 1990s showed that 35% of those who fell prey to S. Pneumoniae died from the disease. RITM is one of the country's foremost centers for infectious diseases.

How is it transmitted?

S. Pneumoniae is transmitted when one person inhales the respiratory "droplets" (aerosol) from another person who is infected. It can be released by coughing, sneezing, or talking.

How can I protect my baby from IPD?

Prevention of IPD is very important. You can have your child immunized with Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, 7-Valent, a breakthrough vaccine made by Wyeth.

This vaccine is the company's contribution in an effort to help protect infants and children even those below 2 years of age from contracting the disease.

How can Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, 7-Vatent protect my baby?

The vaccine offers protection for children even those below 2 years of age against S. Pneumoniae and its devastating effects, namely pneumonia (bacterial infection of the lung), meningitis (bacterial infection of the membrane that covers the spinal cord or brain), septicemia (bacterial infection of the blood), severe sinusitis (infection of the sinuses) and acute otitis (infection of the middle ear).5

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, 7-Valent protects against IPD by stimulating the immune system and creating immune system memory.5 Injection of the vaccine introduces to the immune system seven types of S. Pneumoniae.5,2 The immune system stores these information so that it will be able to fight the bacteria when they attack the body in the future.

How effective Is the vaccine?

In a clinical study involving more than 37,000 infants, the vaccine showed an efficacy rate of 97.4 percent in preventing serotype-specific invasive pneumococcal infections in infants who were fully vaccinated, and 89.1 percent for all cases of invasive pneumococcal disease, regardless of serogroup, in children who had received one or more doses.6

Is it safe?

In clinical studies, the most frequently reported adverse events were injection site reactions, fever (> 38° C), irritability, drowsiness, restless sleep, decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea and rash.5 These risks are associated with all kinds of vaccines.