Pneumococcal Vaccine Linked To Lower Costs And Reduced Hospitalizations For Children Under Two

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Immune System / Vaccines
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Respiratory / Asthma;  Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 04 Dec 2007 - 0:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

A child under two who has received the pneumococcal vaccine less likely to be hospitalized for pneumonia and will incur lower costs, compared to a child who has not been vaccinated, according to an article published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (JAMA/Archives), December issue.

Pneumonia causes the most childhood illnesses and deaths globally. In developing countries it is estimated that approximately two million children die each year from pneumonia. Since 2000, children in the USA started receiving the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) as part of the routine immunization schedule. The vaccine protects against pneumococcal pneumonia, which is caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria.

The vaccine is recommended for all babies/toddlers aged 2-23 months, and for children aged 24-59 months who are at higher risk of pneumococcal disease. In 2002 41% of kids aged 19-35 months received at least three doses, compared to 83% in 2005.

Fangjun Zhou, Ph.D., CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Atlanta, and team looked at the health records of 40 large employers each year from 1997-2004. They used claims data from hospitals and physician visits to establish the number and cost of medical visits due to all-cause and pneumococcal pneumonia. The database included information on 40,000 children under two each year.

The researchers wrote "Comparing the rates in 2004 with those in the baseline period of 1997 to 1999 among children younger than 2 years, hospitalizations due to all-cause pneumonia declined from 11.5 to 5.5 per 1,000 children (52.4% decline) and ambulatory [outpatient] visits due to all-cause pneumonia declined from 99.3 to 58.5 per 1,000 children (41.1% decline). Rates of hospitalization due to pneumococcal pneumonia declined from 0.6 to 0.3 per 1,000 children (57.6% decline) and rates of ambulatory visits declined from 1.7 to 0.9 per 1,000 children (46.9% decline)."

They concluded "These results add to the growing evidence base of benefits of PCV7 vaccination and suggest an important role for the vaccine in reducing the burden of pneumonia and associated medical costs."

"Health Care Utilization for Pneumonia in Young Children After Routine Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Use in the United States"
Fangjun Zhou, PhD; Moe H. Kyaw, PhD; Abigail Shefer, MD; Carla A. Winston, PhD, MA; J. Pekka Nuorti, MD, DSc
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(12):1162-1168.
Click here to view abstract online

Written by - Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today