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Childhood Pneumococcal DiseaseBackgrounder
What is childhood pneumococcal disease?
Pneumococcal disease is the leading cause of serious illnesses in children worldwide.
Thedisease covers a range of infections that are caused by the S
treptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae)
bacterium.
S. pneumoniae
can cause serious, life-threatening diseases and permanent health damageto children. Those infected with
S. pneumoniae
suffer a range of childhood diseases, fromthe more serious meningitis (inflammation or swelling of the lining of the brain), pneumonia(inflammation of the lungs) and blood infection (bacteraemia) to the less severe but highlyprevalent diseases such as otitis media (inflammatory infection of the middle ear), sinusitis(inflammation of the sinuses) and bronchitis (inflammation of the airways in the lungs).
These more common diseases can also be very debilitating and distressing for children andtheir parents.Invasive pneumococcal diseases
•
Invasive pneumonia
o
Each year, 156 million cases of childhood pneumonia are treated worldwide,
withchildren in developing countries accounting for more than 95% of all new casesworldwide
o
Pneumonia is the most common cause of pneumococcal deaths worldwide.Pneumococcal pneumonia is an extremely serious disease and fatalities rates areestimated to range from 10% to 20%, with the risk of death exceeding 50% for high-risk groups such as young children and the elderly.
S. pneumoniae
is the mostimportant cause of severe pneumonia
o
Symptoms typically include shaking, chills, high fever, sweating, shortness of breath,chest pain, muscle pain, fatigue and a cough that produces thick, greenish or yellowphlegm (mucus)
Pneumococcal meningitis
o
Pneumococcal meningitis is most frequent in children aged less than two years old
6
o
The consequences of pneumococcal meningitis can be severe – 20% of sufferers willdie (one in six children)
9,10
may be left with severe and disabling after-effects such as hearing andsight loss, epilepsy, learning and behavioural problems (especially in babies andyoung children), memory problems, tiredness and persistent headaches
10
o
Meningitis symptoms can include high fever, severe headache, vomiting, a dislike of bright lights, stiff neck, muscle pain, drowsiness, difficultly to wake and a rash thatdoes not fade under pressure
10
•
Pneumococcal bacteraemia
o
Pneumococcal bacteraemia is an extremely serious condition which results in deathin about 20% of cases
o
It is a common secondary condition of invasive pneumococcal pneumonia, occurringin approximately 25% of patients
o
Symptoms include fever, headache and muscular aches and pains
Non-invasive pneumococcal diseases
•
Otitis media
o
Otitis media (OM) encompasses a range of potentially serious inflammatory middleear infections
o
OM is one of the most frequent diseases of childhood. By the age of three years, it isestimated that 75% of all children will have had at least one episode and more thanone third will have had repeated infections (defined as three or more episodes in oneyear)
o
Repeated infections can sometimes result in surgery with the insertion of a smallmetal ‘tunnel’ (called a grommet) through the eardrum to allow fluid to drain away
o
The symptoms include restlessness, pain, fever and generalised flu-like symptomssuch as fever and
a sore throat,
temporary hearing loss and pus running out of theear(s)
•
Sinusitis
o
o
Symptoms include pain and tenderness of sinuses, blocked or runny nose or a hightemperature
18
•
Bronchitis
o
Bronchitis is an infection of the main airways of the lungs (bronchi)
o
It is common in winter, and often develops following a cold, sore throat or influenza(flu). Anyone can be affected although smokers and those who work with substancesthat can irritate the lungs, such as grains or textiles, are more likely to get thecondition
19
o
The main symptom of bronchitis is a cough which may bring up yellowy, greymucous
19
Who is at risk?
Anyone can contract a pneumococcal disease, but some groups are more at risk thanothers. These include:1
•
Young children and the elderly
•
Individuals with weak immune systems due to cancer, leukaemia, Hodgkin's disease or HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)1
•
People suffering from a wide range of chronic conditions such as lung, heart and kidneydisease, diabetes and alcoholism1
How is pneumococcal disease spread?
The bacteria are spread through contact between people who are ill or who carry thebacteria in their throat. Bacteria are most commonly spread/transmitted through coughing
or sneezing, or by touching objects which have bacteria on them, and then carrying thebacteria to the mouth or nose. It is common for people, especially children, to carry andspread pneumococcal bacteria without being ill from it.2
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