Universal pneumococcal vaccination of <2‐year‐olds decreased pneumococcal bacteremia and antibiotic resistance in <5‐year‐olds

Pneumococcal vaccinations effectively prevent blood culture‐negative infections that resemble occult pneumococcal bacteraemia or bacteraemic pneumococcal pneumonia at one to 36 months of age

“…Children with other infection focuses than pneumonic infiltration, which could explain fever and leucocytosis, as well as blood culture-positive cases, were not included. Our previous study showed that blood culture-positive pneumococcal cases disappeared totally in vaccinated child cohorts in our area within two years of starting pneumococcal vaccinations (14). Ten papers were included in a review on the effects of pneumococcal vaccination on the incidence of occult bacteraemia in children aged one to 36 months (9).…”

“…Universal pneumococcal vaccinations of Finnish infants were started with 10‐valent vaccine in 2010. In 2012, only one child younger than five years old was treated due to blood culture‐positive pneumococcal infection in our hospital .…”

Universal pneumococcal vaccination provides marked indirect beneficial effects through herd immunity

“…Interestingly, the incidence of acute otitis media and sinusitis decreased by 21% and 25%, respectively, in unvaccinated children aged 5–17 years, but there were no significant changes in antibiotic consumption or in the incidence of pneumonia . In a previous report from one hospital district in Finland, the prevalence of pneumococcal penicillin resistance in samples obtained from middle ear or other upper airways secretions in children under 5 years of age decreased by 75% and pneumococcal macrolide resistance fell by 46% within 2 years after pneumococcal vaccinations for infants were implemented .…”

“…The pneumococcal strains that cause invasive infections develop resistance to penicillin and to other antibiotics easily. Thus, decreasing the consumption of antibiotics , which further reduces the resistance of circulating pneumococcal strains to antibiotics , is of utmost importance for future health care.…”