All about pneumococcus
Pneumococcus is a type of bacteria that spreads through contact with people who are infected or who are not sick but carry the bacteria. The treatment is with antibiotics, although there are vaccines that prevent pneumococcal infections. Doctors have recommended vaccinating children under 5 years of age and, especially, children under 2 years of age.
Pneumococcal infections
And that is, the pneumococcal infection is the main cause of preventable infectious diseases and mortality by vaccination in the child. This pathology is caused by streptococcus pneumoniae and among the most frequent infections are respiratory infections such as pneumonia, complicated pneumonia with pleural effusion and bacteremia.
In addition, of great importance due to its severity, but less frequent, are pneumococcal meningitis and also mastoiditis, as a complication of otitis. This pathogen also behaves more aggressively in immunocompromised children for any of the causes that produce alteration of the immune system and in children under treatment with immunosuppressive drugs.
Likewise, children who are not immunocompromised but who have underlying diseases that are associated with frequent and more severe pneumococcal infections, such as those with cerebrospinal fluid fistulas, cochlear implants or children with heart disease, are also at risk of severe pneumococcal disease. chronic kidney or lung.
Vaccines against pneumococcus
There are two types of vaccines. One for newborns and small children. The other is for people at risk, including those over 65 or who have a chronic disease or who have a weakened immune system or who smoke or have asthma or live in nursing homes.
It is remarkable the significant reduction of the pulmonary disease thanks to the impact of vaccination and the effectiveness of the vaccine, since two years after its inclusion in the vaccination calendar, the incidence rate of hospitalizations due to invasive pneumococcal disease has been reduced to less than half.
