Vaccination of adults against pneumococcus, a bacterium that causes pneumonia, among other diseases, is an outstanding public health issue, medical director of MSD in Spain, Dr Joaquín Mateos, told EFEsalud. .
coronavirus. Photo courtesy of the Niño Jesús Children’s Hospital in Madrid
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X-ray of an eight-month-old baby with necrotizing pneumonia caused by coinfection of pneumococcus and new coronavirus. Photo courtesy of the Niño Jesús Children’s Hospital in Madrid
Dr. Mateos released these statements on World Pneumonia Day, November 12, and recalled the importance of investing in research and development of innovative vaccines that address unmet needs in relation to pneumococcal and pneumococcal disease.
The 15-valent MSD pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for adults was recently approved in Spain which, according to its medical director, “offers a robust response against each of the 15 serotypes it contains, which are the most prevalent and responsible for most serious disease today. .
Infections caused by pneumococcus are a serious health problem, says Mateos, “being the leading cause of morbidity and mortality from potentially vaccine-preventable infectious diseases.”
Pneumococcus is estimated to be responsible for about half of severe pneumonia requiring hospitalization, “which has a major health and economic impact,” he adds.
However, pneumococcal disease, in addition to pneumonia, can cause other conditions such as otitis media, pneumococcal meningitis, septicemia and bacteremia, which are potentially very serious.
Pneumococcus is a bacterium that mainly affects the extremes of life: children and the elderly, as they have an immature and more weakened immune system.
The Ministry of Health recommends vaccination against pneumococcus in children during the first year of life, in the population over the age of 18 with the presence of pathologies at risk and in those over the age of 65.
Lessons learned from covid vaccination
In the context of World Pneumonia Day, Mateos reports as an example the lessons learned about vaccination during the covid pandemic with the aim of “bringing adult vaccination coverage against pneumococcus closer to 75% marked as optimal by the WHO”.
In adults, specialist estimates place pneumococcal vaccination at between 20 and 40 percent.
In children, adherence rates to this vaccination are high.
“The recommendation of the healthcare professional is the main lever for increasing vaccination coverage,” emphasizes Dr. Joaquín Mateos.
What are the challenges of pneumococcal vaccination?
The medical director of MSD states: “Continue to develop innovative vaccines that reduce the burden of disease from the most widespread and severe serotypes.”
In terms of public health, he continues, “we must continue to strengthen trust in vaccines and encourage the training and commitment of health professionals, so that together we can improve adult vaccination coverage and protect pediatric coverage”.
“In this way, we will be able to transform the course of pneumococcal disease,” he adds.
What are serotypes and how important are they?
Serotypes, explains Mateos, are different types of pneumococcus that differ according to the different antigens of their polysaccharide capsule. We could say that they are “variants” of pneumococcus, of which about 100 serotypes have been identified to date.
Of these 100 serotypes, 20-25% are responsible for the most severe form of pneumonia. For example, one of the most frequent and aggressive serotypes, in both the adult and pediatric populations, is serotype 3, which is covered by the new vaccine.
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