Pneumococcal disease is a serious disease that causes sickness and death.
In fact, pneumococcal disease is responsible for about 200 deaths each year among children under 5 years old. Pneumococcal disease is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the United States. Children under 2 years old are at highest risk for serious disease. Pneumococcus bacteria are spread from person to person through close contact. Pneumococcal infections can be hard to treat because the disease has become resistant to some of the drugs that have been used to treat it.