Pneumococcus is a disease caused by a common bacterium which causes seriously illness in children and adults. But, according to a report published in this week’s PLoS Medicine, entire communities in Africa can be protected against this infection by vaccinating young children against the pneumococcus. The investigation was led by the Medical Research Council in The Gambia together with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Results from a randomized, controlled trial that involved 21 villages in rural Gambia revealed, that young children who had been vaccinated reduced carriage of vaccine serotype pneumococci (the type of pneumoccus contained in the vaccine) in children who were vaccinated, older children who were or were not vaccinated, as well as adults. Additionally, the investigation revealed that vaccinating entire communities didn’t increase in carriage of nonvaccine serotype pneumococci (other types of pneumococci not included in the vaccine) in the two-years following vaccination.
In a different approach to long-term observational investigations as well as to predict the possible long term effects of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination after introduction in sub-Saharan Africa, the researchers carried out a village-randomized trial in The Gambia. The villages were split into two groups, in some villages the entire population was immunized with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) (vaccinated villages), in the control group, only children in the villages
They conclude:
“Our findings are relevant for other countries in Africa contemplating the introduction of [pneumococcal conjugated vaccines] where the pattern of pneumococcal infection is similar to that in The Gambia.”
Written by Grace Rattue