We have known for some time that children in group daycare are more likely than other children to contract pneumococcal infections. This study shows for the first time that by vaccinating older children who are in daycare, we can also provide some protection to their younger and more vulnerable siblings. Pneumococcal disease ranges from the very serious invasive infections, such as blood poisoning and meningitis to pneumonia and otitis media, the common ear infection. For those who survive it, many are left with permanent neurological deficits including deafness, impaired vision, seizures or mental retardation. Children under two are the most susceptible to all forms of pneumococcal disease.
Children are major carriers as well as victims of pneumococcal disease.
Carriage rates in young children are as high as 60 percent. For adults living with children the rate is 20 percent to 30 percent, while the rate for adults without children in the household is only 6 percent. In the U.S. about 60 percent of children under six attend daycare, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Traditionally antibiotics have been used to treat pneumococcal infections, but many strains of pneumococcal bacteria are rapidly growing resistant to antibiotics, rendering the drugs increasingly ineffective. Resistance to penicillin and other antibiotics is a worldwide problem.