Pneumococcal meningitis rates have declined substantially since a new vaccine was introduced in 2000, according to a new study, which appears in the Jan. 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

 

The vaccine, known as Prevnar, is made by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and is part of the standard vaccination recommendation for children in the United States ages 2 to 23 months, as well as for children 24 to 59 months old who are at high risk for pneumococcal disease. The vaccine protects against seven of the most common strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, commonly known as pneumococcal bacteria. These germs accounts for more than 80 percent of pneumococcal disease in children, causing ear infections, meningitis, pneumonia and blood infections.

 

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine led by Dr. Lee Harrison, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University and adjunct professor of health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, reviewed 1,379 cases of pneumococcal meningitis from 1998 through 2005. They found that Prevnar reduced cases of meningitis caused by pneumococcal bacteria strains covered by the vaccine. To be more specific, disease rates fell 64 percent in children under 2 and 54 percent in older adults after the vaccine was introduced. Prior to the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevnar, there were over 700 cases of meningitis, 13,000 blood infections, and 5 million ear infections annually.

 

“This is a great vaccine and we should continue to use it to the max,” Prof. Harrison said.

 

Due to the vaccine, fewer babies carried the contagious germs, which benefited parents and grandparents that looked after them.

“When vaccinated children don't carry these virulent strains, they don't end up transmitting them to other children, their parents and grandparents," said Prof. Harrison.

 

Pneumococcal meningitis is a life-threatening infection, which affects mostly babies and young children under 18 months of age. Also, people with weaker immune systems are at a greater risk of contracting bacterial meningitis. The disease causes an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Most people will make a good recovery but pneumococcal meningitis requires quick medical treatment, as around 20 percent of cases will end in death and 25 percent of those affected can be left with severe and disabling after-effects.

 

Prevnar is Wyeth’s second best-selling drug, with $2.4 billion in global sales in 2007. The company is seeking approval for a new vaccine designed to cover six additional strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, including those responsible for half the infections reported in the study.

 

The study was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as well as the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.