Pneumococcal Disease

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More children die each year from pneumonia than from any other infectious disease - even more than from malaria or AIDS - according to the World Health Organization. And a majority of these deaths occur in developing countries. A bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae (also known as pneumococcus), is the leading cause of severe pneumonia in children. Currently the WHO estimates that pneumococcal disease are responsible for between 800,000 and 1 million child deaths each year.

Pneumococcal infections are common. Some infections go on to become severe diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis, but most infections occur without any symptoms or present as less severe, more common illnesses such as ear infections or mild respiratory infections. Pneumococcal meningtitis is the most severe form of pneumococcal disease and one of the most fatal childhood illnesses. In developing countries, it kills or disables 40% to 75% of the children who get it.

HIV and Antibiotic Resistance Threaten to Worsen the Situation Nearly all of these pneumococcal deaths occur in developing countries. Without a concerted international effort, the situation may get significantly worse, in the next 20 years.

A recently published study suggests that the problem will increase in the wake of increasing HIV infection. Data from a South African study show that children with HIV/AIDS are 20 to 40 times more likely to get pneumococcal disease than children without HIV/AIDS.

Pneumococcal infections are becoming more difficult to treat because of increasing resistance to some of the most commonly used antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance has economic as well as clinical consequences. Overuse of antibiotics leads to increased resistance and threatens the effectiveness of existing therapy, which in turn increases the cost of treatment by requiring the use of more expensive antibiotics.

Aiming to Save more Lives by Accelerating Vaccinations

New, lifesaving pneumococcal vaccines are now available. They are safe and highly effective in preventing pneumoccoccal disease, including pneumonia and meningitis. However, without a coordinated effort by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI)'s PneumoADIP, it is likely to take 20 years or more for these vaccines to reach even one quarter of the children in the world's developing countries. This concerted effort will require resources and sustained international commitment but this looks pale in comarison to inaction- leaving up to 1 million children to die each year from a vaccine-preventable disease.

The PneumoADIP Mission: To Improve Child Survival and Health by Accelerating The Evaluation of and Access to New Lifesaving Pneumococcal Vaccines For The World's Children.

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