Pneumococcal Vaccines

Pneumococcal Vaccination Also Reduces Viral Respiratory Infections

Karen McClorey Hackett — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 21:42:04 +0000

Reviewer:

According to emerging evidence, pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) not only prevent pneumococcal disease but also have the potential to indirectly reduce viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs) by affecting pneumococcal-viral interactions.

Researchers recently performed a systematic review of interventional and observational studies published between 2000 and 2022 on vaccine efficacy/adjusted effectiveness (VE) and the overall effect of PCV7, PCV9, PCV10, or PCV13 against viral RTI.

This Major Article, funded by Pfizer Inc., was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases on March 11, 2024, and concluded the strongest evidence was for influenza in children.

While data from adults were more limited, they were generally consistent with results in children, adding confidence that reported findings represent a true biological effect.

VE against influenza ranged between 41% and 86% (n=4), except for the 2010-2011 influenza season.

In a randomized controlled trial, PCV9 displayed efficacy against viral RTI, human seasonal coronavirus, parainfluenza, and human metapneumovirus. Data in adults were limited (n=3).

PCV13 VE ranged between 4-25% against viral lower RTI, 32-35% against COVID-19 outcomes, 24-51% against human seasonal coronavirus, and 13-36% against influenza A lower RTI, with some 95%CI spanning zero.

This study found PCVs did not offer protection against adenovirus or rhinovirus in children or adults.

These researchers wrote that if the study's results are corroborated, PCV protection against RTIs beyond those due to pneumococci might better capture the full spectrum of PCVs' public health benefits, thereby informing vaccine policymaking and economic evaluations.

As of March 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, and the U.K.'s NHS have approved various vaccines to prevent pneumococcal disease.

Sub Title:

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines offer public health benefits

Reference:

Effect of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on viral respiratory infections

Image:

Google News Keywords:

vaccines, vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Thursday, March 14, 2024 - 06:00

Image Caption:

from Pixabay

Pediatric Pneumonia Trends Plateau in 2023

Karen McClorey Hackett — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 18:50:30 +0000

Reviewer:

Holly Lutmer PharmD

Robert Carlson, MD

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published the latest information on pediatric pneumonia.

Released on December 1, 2023, this data shows the weekly percent of emergency department visits diagnosed with pneumonia is mainly consistent with previous years for children aged 0 to 4 years, with slight increases for those aged 5 to 17 years.

The U.S. National Syndromic Surveillance Program data as of November 25, 2023, indicated that the weekly percent of emergency department visits with diagnosed pneumonia was as follows:

1.7% for children aged 0–1 years,

2.4% for children aged 2–4 years, and

1.5% for children aged 5–17 years.

According to the CDC, these trends are consistent with pre-pandemic years and are likely caused by viruses and bacteria expected to be seen during the winter respiratory illness season.

Separately, increases in Mycoplasma pneumoniae detections were reported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The ECDC reported on December 2, 2023, that the recent increases in observed detections may reflect the typical periodic recurrence of M. pneumoniae in the community and is potentially exacerbated by three years of minimal transmission and detection of M. pneumoniae.

The ECDC's current assessment is that country-level comparisons should be done cautiously as M. pneumoniae epidemics occur cyclically in Europe every one to three years.

Various factors contribute to this cyclical pattern, such as the decline of population immunity over time or the introduction of new strains into the population.

According to the CDC, there are many ways to protect yourself from serious illness during the respiratory season, including effective immunizations that protect against viral and bacterial diseases that can lead to pneumonia.

In the U.S., various vaccines, including the annual flu shot, help prevent pneumonia in children and are available at clinics and pharmacies as of December 5, 2023.

Sub Title:

Pediatric pneumonia outbreaks can be caused by a new virus or pathogen

References:

US CDC Pediatric Pneumonia Update

ECDC - Week 48, 26 - 2 December 2023

CDC Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report - Dec. 1, 2023

Image:

Age Groups:

Childhood

Google News Keywords:

vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Wednesday, December 6, 2023 - 05:30

Image Caption:

US CDC Data through 11/25/2023; data as of 12/1/2023

Vaccines Extraordinarily Reduce Pneumococcus Impact

Karen McClorey Hackett — Mon, 22 May 2023 19:26:51 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

At the beginning of the 20th Century, South African miners often were in poor health, and infections such as influenza and pneumonia quickly spread, killing up to one in ten miners yearly.

The biggest killer was pneumococcal pneumonia, wrote GAVI on May 16, 2023.

Within the first four months of working in the mines, 1–2% of men had been infected with it, and among men proven to be infected, 25–56% later died.

They weren't alone. A century later, pneumococcus bacteria continues to be the leading cause of severe pneumonia and bacterial meningitis worldwide.

Pneumonia kills some 740,000 children under five each year, making it the single most significant infectious cause of death in children.

Case fatality rates for children with severe and invasive pneumococcal infections, such as bacteremia or meningitis, range from 20–50% in low- and middle-income countries.

However, pneumococcal pneumonia is deadly no matter who is affected or where a person lives.

Introducing pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) has substantially reduced the burden of death and disease, but millions of children remain unvaccinated.

And existing vaccines don't protect against all 90 pneumococcus strains.

Efforts to create a vaccine against pneumococcus began in 1911 when South African mining representatives approached a British doctor called Almroth Wright.

Wright adopted an approach against pneumococcus: injecting whole heat-killed bacteria into thousands of migrant laborers working in gold mines near Johannesburg.

The results of these initial vaccine trials were encouraging – suggesting a substantial reduction in pneumonia cases and deaths after vaccination.

However, it soon became apparent that pneumococcus wasn't a single enemy but that there were multiple 'serotypes' – groups within a species of microorganism that share distinctive surface structures.

Once researchers had figured out how to identify them, they combined these whole killed bacteria into multivalent vaccines to protect against more than one pneumococcus serotype.

During the 1930s and '40s, researchers began to test polysaccharide-based pneumococcal vaccines (PPVs) derived from the polysaccharide "capsule" that pneumococcus wears as a kind of coat. This capsule varies between serotypes, and researchers discovered it was a vital part of the bacterium that people's immune systems responded to following inoculation.

However, with the discovery of penicillin, interest in pneumococcal vaccines waned, and their development stalled.

In 1977, Merck licensed a PPV vaccine containing capsular polysaccharides from 14 pneumococcus strains, followed in 1983 by one containing 23 capsular polysaccharides – Pneumovax – still in use today.

According to a meta-analysis published in 2008, which combined the results of multiple trials, PPVs reduced the incidence of all invasive pneumococcal disease in adults worldwide by 82%.

However, PPV vaccines are largely ineffective in children younger than two years old, presumably due to their immature immune systems.

To overcome this problem, scientists needed to find a way to boost the immune response.

So, they began chemically attaching these capsular polysaccharides to an inactivated form of the diphtheria toxin, called a toxoid, which the immune system easily recognizes.

A pivotal moment came in 2000, with the publication of a clinical trial that evaluated the first of these pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) – which was designed to protect against the seven most common pneumococcal strains – in 37,868 infants in Northern California.

It found that the incidence of pneumococcal meningitis was reduced by more than 95% in fully vaccinated infants.

And the efficacy against all invasive pneumococcal disease was greater than 97%.

This vaccine, known as PCV7 or Prevnar7, was licensed in 2000.

However, pneumococcus was not so easily defeated.

Effective as PCV7 was against the strains it covered, its routine use began to be associated with an increased incidence of disease caused by a different strain, called serotype 19A – a phenomenon known as "serotype replacement."

This highlighted the value of vaccinating against a broader range of strains.

PCVs covering 10, 13, and 15 strains have since followed; in some cases, the polysaccharides are conjugated to diphtheria toxoid; in others, to tetanus toxoid or protein D.

In 2021, PCVs protecting against 15 and 20 pneumococcal strains were approved for adult use in the U.S., followed by European authorization in late 2021/early 2022.

PCVs covering more than 20 strains are also in development.

Three PCVs are currently prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO) for use in infants and children: PCV13, manufactured by Pfizer; and two PCV10 vaccines, manufactured by GSK and the Serum Institute of India.

WHO recommends the inclusion of PCVs in childhood immunization programs worldwide, and as of the end of 2020, 148 out of 194 WHO member states had introduced it – including 63 Gavi-eligible lower-income countries.

These childhood vaccination programs have had an extraordinary impact on rates of pneumococcal disease in those countries that have introduced them.

Routine childhood immunization against pneumococcus has also reduced the burden of pneumococcal disease in older children and adults who haven't been vaccinated against it – presumably because there's less community transmission of strains covered by the vaccines.

Four vaccines are currently available for preventing adult pneumococcal disease: PCV13, PCV15, PCV20, and the polysaccharide-based pneumococcal vaccine, PPV23.

If PCV13 or 15 are used, this is usually followed by a dose of PPV23, typically a year later.

Adults who receive PV23 or PCV20 usually only need one dose.

The U.S. CDC updated its recommendation in February 2023.

The road to defeating pneumococcus has been a long one, and there's still a way to go, but through sustained efforts to increase vaccine uptake and future innovations, many more lives could be saved, wrote GAVI.

The unedited GAVI article is posted at this link.

Precision Vaccinations publishes pneumococcal vaccine news.

Sub Title:

Pneumococcal vaccines reduce pneumonia and meningitis related fatalities

References:

GAVI - Routine vaccines, extraordinary impact: Pneumococcus

CDC - Pneumococcal Vaccine Timing for Adults

Triumph of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines

Image:

Google News Keywords:

vaccinations

Featured:

Fact checked:

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 05:45

Image Caption:

by Trương Kháng

Tri-demic Surged Pneumonia Cases in 2023

Karen McClorey Hackett — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 22:14:39 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Holly Lutmer PharmD

The combination of influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) severely strained hospitals this winter.

Although many people infected with these airborne viruses will recover, many develop pneumonia and require hospital treatment.

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that viruses, bacteria, or fungi can cause. And it causes air sacs to fill up, making it harder to breathe and for organs to get enough oxygen.

According to National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Surveillance data available on January 26, 2023, 12.0% of the deaths that occurred during the week ending January 21, 2023 (week #3), were due to pneumonia, influenza, and/or COVID-19 (PIC).

This percentage is above the epidemic threshold of 7.1% for this week.

Among the 2,877 PIC deaths reported, 1,357 had pneumonia listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death on the death certificate, 1,332 had COVID-19, and 188 listed influenza.

Unfortunately, 91 influenza-associated pediatric deaths have occurred during the 2022-2023 season.

The most common cause of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus, which usually lives harmlessly in the upper airways.

Most people will recover from pneumonia, but this can take time. Although some people may feel ready to resume everyday routines within a week, this can take a month or longer, and it is also normal to feel tired for about a month.

Furthermore, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pneumococcal vaccines are available to help protect against pneumococcus. These vaccines are offered to older adults, young children, and people with certain medical conditions or risk factors.

Eligible people can reduce the risk of pneumonia by getting a pneumococcal vaccine, an annual flu shot, and/or a COVID-19 booster in 2023.

And since whooping cough, measles, and Haemophilus influenzae type B can also trigger pneumonia, it is essential to stay up to date with these vaccinations as well, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These FDA-approved vaccines are generally available at most clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.

But, RSV vaccine candidates are not yet FDA approved.

Sub Title:

Pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19 mortality above the epidemic threshold

References:

CDC - National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Surveillance 2023

Pneumococcal vaccines 2023

FDA approved flu shots 2023

Image:

Age Groups:

Seniors

Google News Keywords:

Pneumonia, vaccines

Featured:

Fact checked:

Monday, February 6, 2023 - 12:00

Image Caption:

NCHS mortality surveillance data January 26, 2023

Pneumonia Remains the Forgotten Vaccine-Preventible Disease

Don Hackett — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 11:54:12 +0000

Reviewer:

Holly Lutmer PharmD

Robert Carlson, MD

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today the number of pneumonia-related fatalities continues to outpace both COVID-19 and Influenza.

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Surveillance includes data evaluating pneumonia, influenza, and COVID-19 (PIC) fatalities.

As of June 17, 2022, data collected (82%) for week #19 indicates there were 2,074 pneumonia fatalities in the USA, far surpassing COVID-19 (1,103) and influenza (57).

And the CDC reported the current 7-day moving average of new COVID-19-related fatalities (306) had increased 18.6% compared with last week. So as of June 8, 2022, a total of 1,005,823 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the United States.

Historically, pneumonia and influenza cases produced significantly fewer fatalities. For example, in 2020, pneumonia-related deaths were 47,601, while influenza deaths were 5,943.

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can cause mild to severe illness in people of all ages. Viruses, bacteria, and fungi can all cause pneumonia. And these bacteria can cause a wide range of infections—like pneumonia—known as pneumococcal disease.

In the USA, common causes of viral pneumonia are influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. A common cause of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae.

The good news is pneumonia is a vaccine-preventable disease, and the U.S. FDA has approved two types of pneumococcal vaccines, PCV13, and PPSV23.

However, neither vaccine can prevent every kind of community-acquired pneumonia, but they work against the 30 most common bacteria types.

And other FDA-approved vaccines can help prevent pneumonia available as of June 17, 2022, including:

COVID-19
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
Influenza
Measles
Pertussis
Varicella

Unfortunately, the CDC's data shows that in 2020, the percentage of adults who received a pneumococcal vaccination was just 25.5%.

In an editorial written by AMIT A. SHAH, MD, AGSF, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and published by the American Academy of Family Physicians, current real-world data was highlighted, which is excerpted below:

"With the 2021 approval of PCV15 (Vaxneuvance) and PCV20 (Prevnar 20), the ACIP has greatly simplified pneumococcal vaccination recommendations."

PCV15 and PCV20 are conjugate vaccines that provide durable protection because of a T cell-dependent mechanism of action and resulting memory B cell formation that provide mucosal immunity.

In contrast, PPSV23, a capsular polysaccharide vaccine that induces an immune response via the release of immunoglobulin from B cells, does not result in mucosal immunity, and protection wanes over five to six years.

Compared with the PCV13 vaccine, the PCV15 and PCV20 vaccines cover additional strains that cause about 15% and 27% of invasive pneumococcal disease in patients 65 years or older and 13% and 28% of disease in patients 19 to 64 years of age with underlying conditions, respectively.

'Studies have shown that the overall immunogenicity of PCV20 alone or PCV15 plus PPSV23 is similar to PCV13 plus PPSV23. Therefore, PCV15 and PCV20 are expected to be safe and well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events noted in clinical trials,' wrote Dr. Shah.

The CDC published an updated vaccination schedule in February 2022, highlighting recommendations from CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-checked, research-based vaccine news curated for mobile readership.

Sub Title:

Pneumonia is a vaccine-preventable disease

References:

CDC: FluView

CDC: Pneumococcal Vaccine Recommendations

CDC: Influenza

Simplifying Pneumococcal Immunizations for Adults

CDC: Immunization Schedules

Pneumococcal Vaccines 2022

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations, flu, influenza, covid, covid-19, pneumonia, pneumococcal

Featured:

Fact checked:

Saturday, June 18, 2022 - 05:45

Image Caption:

U.S. CDC

Pneumonia Outpacing COVID-19 Fatalities During Spring 2022

Don Hackett — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 16:07:46 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the health industry. But as COVID-19 related fatalities subside, a well-known respiratory threat has become more visible.

According to the U.S. CDC’s reporting on March 17, 2022, about 10.8% of the deaths during week #10 were due to pneumonia, influenza, and/or COVID-19 (PIC).

Among the 1,890 PIC deaths reported for this week, 1,215 had COVID-19 listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death on the death certificate, 660 were related to pneumonia, and 15 listed influenza.

This National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Surveillance data indicates that current PIC mortality is due primarily to COVID-19 and pneumonia, but not influenza.

Furthermore, the 2022 trend data from the CDC indicates pneumonia may soon overtake COVID-19 as the leading cause of respiratory death in the U.S.

Historically, the CDC reported the number of visits to emergency departments with pneumonia as the primary diagnosis averaged about 1.5 million, which led to 47,000 deaths annually.

The good news is pneumonia is a vaccine-preventable disease.

Unfortunately, the percentage of adults who had ever received a pneumococcal vaccination was 25.5% in 2020.

When the CDC published updated vaccination schedules for 2022 on February 18th, it included enhanced recommendations for both children and seniors.

Currently, there are two kinds of pneumococcal vaccines used to help protect people against pneumococcal disease:

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV13, PCV15, or PCV20)
Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23)

“As pharmacists, we strongly encourage all our patients, who are at an increased risk of Pneumococcal disease due to their age and/or underlying health conditions, to stay up to date on the Pneumonia vaccine," said Natasha Glidersleeve, PharmD.

"The Pneumonia vaccines have been on the market for a long time and they have proven to be safe and effective."

"These vaccines are one of the best tools we have to prevent serious illnesses caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and to keep our patients alive and out of hospitals,” a Clinical Pharmacist, MTM, and Immunization Specialist for Brookshire Grocery Company.

The CDC says ‘these vaccines protect against many, but not all types of pneumococcal bacteria. Also, the protection from these vaccines is good but not perfect.’

There is still a chance someone can develop the pneumococcal disease after vaccination for these reasons.

Furthermore, an underappreciated pneumonia prevention strategy is the annual flu shot.

The CDC strongly encourages most people over the age of six months to get an influenza vaccination each year.

The best news is pneumonia, and influenza vaccines are available at local pharmacies. Influenza vaccines are available during flu season, typically September- March, while Pneumonia vaccines are available year-round.

Additional pneumonia vaccine news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/pneumococcal.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes fact-check, research-based vaccine news.

Note: This news article edited CDC reports and was manually curated for mobile readers.

Sub Title:

Pneumococcal and influenza vaccines help prevent pneumonia deaths

References:

FluView Interactive

Pneumococcal Vaccines 2022

CDC: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Surveillance

CDC: Pneumococcal Disease

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations. flu, covid, pneumonia, influenza, vaccines

Featured:

Fact checked:

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 - 06:15