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What is pneumococcal disease?

This section will provide you with an understanding of the causes and consequences of pneumococcal disease, as well as its burden on children and their families. Studies show that:

• One child out of every five who contracts pneumococcal meningitis will die^{2, 3}.

Prior to the addition of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to the UK's routine childhood immunisation schedule:

• Pneumococcal meningitis was the UK's second most common cause of bacterial meningitis^{2, 3}.
• An estimated 50 children under five died from pneumococcal disease in the UK every year¹.
• 1 out of every 200 children in the UK were hospitalised before their 5th birthday due to pneumococcal pneumonia⁴.
• By the age of three years, nearly all children will have experienced at least one episode of otitis media and half of them will get another within two years⁵.

Pneumococcal meningitis is among the most destructive forms of bacterial meningitis in the UK (after meningitis B)^2,3 and is among the most destructive in terms of death and permanent disability^6,7. One child out of every five who contracts the disease will die^2,3, while half of those who survive will be left with some level of disability ranging from brain damage to deafness⁶. Pneumonia caused by the pneumo bug can occur much more often than pneumonia caused by other bugs and many children have to see their GP or go to hospital because of it^4,8.