Facts about pneumococcal disease
What can it do?
Pneumococcal (pronounced new-mo-cockle) infections are often serious and sometimes fatal medical conditions caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, or the 'pneumo bug'.
The presence of the pneumo bug in the back of the nose or throat is very common. For example, a study in the UK showed that almost all families with young children carry it at any one time during the year 1,2. In the majority of cases the bug will be cleared from the back of the nose or the throat without causing any harm.
- Hussain M et al. A household study of Streptococcus pneumoniae nasopharyngeal carriage in a UK setting. Epid Inf 2005; 133:891-898.
- Giebink S. The prevention of pneumococcal disease in children. NEJM 2001; 345: 1177-1182.
