 Pneumococcal Disease
Fact Sheet PDF 14 KB
Pneumococcal disease is a bacterial illness caused by
the bacterium
streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococci).
Pneumococci is one of the most common causes of severe
ear infections and pneumonia in children, as well as infections of the
blood (bacteremia) and of the tissues that cover the brain and
spinal cord (meningits).
These bacteremia and meningitis infections can be life threatening and
more often occur in people younger than 2 years old, or over the age of
65. Infections are more likely to occur during the winter and early
spring.
Since the development of vaccines to prevent pneumoccocal diseases, infection rates have dropped significantly in the
U.S.
The pneumococcal vaccine (prevnar) is typically given as
a series of four immunizations to children between the ages of two
months and two years old.
There is also a pneumococcal vaccine (pneumovax) for
high risk children over the age of two and for the elderly who are at
higher risk for invasive pneumococcal infection.
People can carry this bacteria without feeling ill.
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