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Vaccine against pneumococcus:
from the age of two months

In France, routine vaccination of children against pneumococcus would avoid more than 10 deaths, several dozen cases of meningitis and hundreds of hospitalisations each year, at the cost of one case of serious allergic reaction.

Infections caused by pneumococcus bacteria mainly affect infants under 2 and sometimes cause serious infections (pneumonia, meningitis). The mortality rate from these infections is around 10% for meningitis, and there are often after-effects (mental retardation, deafness etc.).

Trials show that vaccination with conjugated 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine reduces the risk of serious pneumoccocal infection by 60 to 70%, with adverse effects comparable to those of other common vaccines.

In the USA, where the vaccine is particularly adapted to the most common pneumococci, routine vaccination of infants has made it possible to prevent approximately one death from serious pneumoccocal infection for every 200,000 infants each year.

In France, routine vaccination would prevent just over 10 childhood deaths a year, several dozen cases of meningitis and hundreds of hospitalisations for infections of varying degrees of seriousness. The benefit-harm balance is favourable in all infants, making it advisable to offer this vaccination to all children from the age of 2 months. Vaccination takes the form of 3 intramuscular injections at intervals of at least 4 weeks and a booster at 12-15 months.

©Prescrire July 2006

Source: "Vaccination des nourrissons avec le vaccin pneumococcique conjugué : à proposer dès l'âge de 2 mois pour tous les nourrissons" Rev Prescrire 2006 ; 26 (274) : 509-515.

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