You want to really understand the quality of evidence about the efficacy of this new vaccine to prevent serious pneumococcal infections and otitis media. Pneumococci also are a frequent cause of sinusitis and of community-acquired pneumonia. Ninety pneumococcal serotypes have been identified. These are the seven serotypes targeted by the new pneumococcal vaccine. Transmission is from person to person, presumably by respiratory droplet contact.
Morbidity includes hearing loss, neurological deficits, and mental retardation.
Most cases of meningitis follow bacteremia. So even a small reduction of this burden of disease may have great consequences. However, pneumococci are presumed to be the major cause of bacterial pneumonia in young children. Pneumococci are estimated to cause 1.2 million deaths per year, due to acute respiratory infections, in children worldwide. These deaths are mostly in developing countries.