Press Releases: National
October 9, 2003
Serious pneumococcal infection declines even in unvaccinated since introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
"Herd immunity" likely responsible for 25% drop in invasive disease
OAKLAND, Calif. – Even in those who haven’t received the vaccine, serious pneumococcal infection rates have dropped substantially since the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was introduced, according to research being presented this week at the Infectious Disease Society of America’s 2003 meeting in San Diego, CA.
On October 11th at 11:30 a.m., Dr. Steve Black will present his findings to the meeting’s attendees. Dr. Black is co-director of Kaiser Permanente’s Vaccine Study Center in Oakland, CA, and lead investigator of several studies of the pneumoccocal conjugate vaccine Prevnar.
“The data we’ve collected from our own database of more than three million patients shows that the effect was most prominent in adults of parenting age—who had a 52% drop in disease—and in people over age 60 years of age, who had a 27% drop. The overall impact for everyone older than age five was 25%,” says Dr. Black. Herd immunity refers to the effect that protects even unvaccinated people in a given community because vaccinated individuals no longer carry and circulate the bacteria.
“Children under age five are at a high risk for this infection. We have seen a virtual elimination of invasive pneumococcal disease in these young children. The reduction of disease in unvaccinated children older than age five is an added bonus from the vaccine program,” says Dr. Henry Shinefield, co-Director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center.
Pneumococcal disease causes about 175,000 cases each year of pneumonia that requires hospitalization, and more than 50,000 cases of bacteremia and 3,000 to 6,000 cases of meningitis. It’s a common complication of influenza and measles. Invasive pneumococcal disease causes more than 6,000 deaths each year.i
Kaiser Permanente is America’s leading integrated health care program. Founded in 1945, it is a not-for-profit, multi-specialty, group-practice prepayment program serving the health care needs of 8.3 million members in 9 states and the District of Columbia with headquarters in Oakland, Calif. Kaiser Permanente has research centers in 8 regions around the United States and publication of KP investigators’ work has appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatrics, the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and other peer-reviewed medical journals.
iFrom National Foundation for Infectious Diseases' Web site
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
