When I take Willow to the Pediatrician and she gets any kind of shots, the doctor gives us a pamphlet with information on the shots (Likely from the CDC). So, since everyone is all up in arms about the links between vaccinations and things like autism, I thought I'd take an in-depth look at the vaccinations. Next in line is the Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccination (PCV).
The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccinations and Immunizations section has a recommended immunization schedule that you can download. They also have a lot of great information for each and every vaccination so this is where I will start in my search for information. Here is their pamphlet on the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination.
The Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccination (PCV) is given in four doses. The first is at 2 months of age, the second at 4 months of age, the third at 6 months of age, and the fourth at 12-15 months of age. This vaccination is may be given at the same time as other vaccinations. Children who weren’t vaccinated at these ages can still get the vaccine. The number of doses needed depends on the child’s age. Ask your health care provider for details.
First, what exactly is Pneumococcal Conjugate?
Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus, is a Gram-positive, alpha-hemolytic diplococcus aerotolerant anaerobe and a member of the genus Streptococcus. A significant human pathogen, S. pneumoniae was recognized as a major cause of pneumonia in the late 19th century and is the subject of many humoral immunity studies.
Despite the name, the organism causes many types of infection other than pneumonia, including acute sinusitis, otitis media, meningitis, bacteremia, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, endocarditis, peritonitis, pericarditis, cellulitis, and brain abscess.
How about a brief History of Streptococcus pneumoniae? In 1881, the organism, then known as the pneumococcus for its role as an etiologic agent of pneumonia, was first isolated simultaneously and independently by the U.S Army physician George Sternberg and the French chemist Louis Pasteur.
The organism was termed Diplococcus pneumoniae from 1926 because of its characteristic appearance in Gram-stained sputum. It was renamed Streptococcus pneumoniae in 1974 because of its growth in chains in liquid media.
S. pneumoniae played a central role in demonstrating that genetic material consists of DNA. In 1928, Frederick Griffith demonstrated transformation of live, harmless pneumococcus into a lethal form by co-inoculating the live pneumococci into a mouse along with heat-killed, virulent pneumococci. In 1944, Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty demonstrated that the transforming factor in Griffith's experiment was DNA, not protein as was widely believed at the time. Avery's work marked the birth of the molecular era of genetics (WOW).
Infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria can cause serious illness and death. Invasive pneumococcal disease is responsible for about 200 deaths each year among children under 5 years old. It is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the United States. (Meningitis is an infection of the covering of the brain). Pneumococcal infection causes severe disease in children under five years old. Before a vaccine was available, each year pneumococcal infection caused:
It can also lead to other health problems, including:
Children under 2 years old are at highest risk for serious disease. Like MRSA, Pneumococcal infections can be hard to treat because the bacteria have become resistant to some of the drugs that have been used to treat them. This makes prevention of pneumococcal infections even more important.
Now, a little about the vaccination itself. After introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in 2000, several studies described a decrease in invasive pneumococcal disease in the United States. One year after its introduction, a group of investigators found a 69% drop in the rate of invasive disease in those age less than 2 years of age. By 2004, all-cause pneumonia admission rates had declined by 39% (95% CI 22–52) and rates of hospitalizations for pneumococcal meningitis decreased by 66% (95% CI 56.3-73.5) in children younger than 2.
Interestingly, rates of invasive pneumococcal disease among adults has also declined since the introduction of the vaccine. Although, it is more difficult to specifically attribute this decline in adults to the childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccine since the adult pneumococcal 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine is also available.
While an overall decline in invasive pneumococcal disease is well documented, concerns have been raised regarding a potential increase in the rate of infections caused by serotypes not covered in the vaccine. Recent data suggest that serotype replacement is increasing (1.61- and 1.28-fold increase in children and adults) but remains minimal when compared to the significant reduction observed in the burden of this vaccine-preventable disease.
Signs of Pneumococcal Conjugate:
How is pneumococcal disease spread? The bacteria are spread through contact between persons who are ill or who carry the bacteria in their throat. Transmission is mostly through the spread of respiratory droplets from the nose or mouth of a person with a pneumococcal infection. It is common for people, especially children, to carry the bacteria in their throats without being ill from it.
The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV7 or Prevnar®, licensed in late 2000, is the first pneumococcal vaccine that can be used in children under the age of 2 years. However, pneumococcal vaccines for the prevention of disease among children and adults who are 2 years and older have been in use since 1977. Pneumovax® and Pnu-Immune® are 23-valent polysaccharide vaccines (PPV23) that are currently recommended for use in all adults who are older than 65 years of age and for persons who are 2 years and older and at high risk for disease (e.g., sickle cell disease, HIV infection, or other immunocompromising condition.)
Risks of Hib vaccination - A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of Hib vaccine causing serious harm or death is extremely small. Most people who get Hib vaccine do not have any problems with it.
Mild Problems: Up to about 1 infant out of 4 had redness, tenderness, or swelling where the shot was given.
So far, no serious reactions have been associated with this vaccine. However, a vaccine, like any medicine, could cause serious problems, such as a severe allergic reaction. The risk of this vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Some people should not get PC vaccine or should wait. Children should not get pneumococcal conjugate vaccine if they had a serious (life-threatening) allergic reaction to a previous dose of this vaccine, or have a severe allergy to a vaccine component. Tell your health-care provider if your child has ever had a severe reaction to any vaccine, or has any severe allergies. Children with minor illnesses, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. But children who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting the vaccine.
I found an awesome website that lists the package inserts and ingredients for all available vaccinations (e.g. provided by MERK or GlaxoSmithKline). It's called the World Association for Vaccine Education. You can find their page on PCV here.
Since we always hear about the link between getting vaccinated and some other disease or condition, I did a search to see if there were links between the PCV vaccination and any kind of disease or neurological disorder and I couldn't find anything.
More Information:
, Drug Resistant
And since there are those people that are concerned about links of vaccinations to neurological disorders and the like I thought I'd include some of their links as well:
Generation Rescue is an international movement of scientists, physicians and parent-volunteers researching the causes and treatments for autism and mentoring thousands of families in recovering their children from autism.
The Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute was established in 1996 to provide parents and other concerned people with educational resources enabling them to make more informed vaccine decisions. Thinktwice encourages an uncensored exchange of vaccine information, and supports every family's right to accept or reject vaccines. Thinktwice's PCV page.
I asked my pediatrician if she had a lot of parents who were choosing to NOT vaccinate their children. She said she could count on one hand the total number and that she, of course, recommends AGAINST not vaccinating your children.
Previously:
Hepatitis B Vaccination Information
Rotavirus Vaccination Information
Diphtheria Vaccination Information
Tetanus Vaccination Information
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) Vaccination
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Vaccination Information
Next week: Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccination
November 12, 2008
About Vaccination - Pneumococcal Conjugate
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