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Key facts and statistics

• One child out of every five who contract the disease will die^2,3, while half of those who survive will be left with some level of disability ranging from deafness to brain damage⁴.
• It was estimated that 50 children under five years of age die each year in the UK from serious pneumococcal diseases, such as meningitis, septicaemia and pneumonia¹, prior to the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into the routine childhood immunisation schedule
• Pneumococcal meningitis is the UK's second most common cause of bacterial meningitis (after meningococcal group B disease)^2,3 and is amongst the most deadly⁴.
• Pneumococcal pneumonia was the most common bacterial form of pneumonia in children under 2 years of age, and was also the commonest form of pneumonia requiring hospitalisation in children⁵.
• It was estimated that 1 in every 200 children in the UK was admitted into hospital before their 5th birthday as a result of pneumococcal pneumonia⁶, prior to the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into the routine childhood immunisation schedule

1. Derived from McIntosh EDG, Booy R. Invasive pneumococcal diseases in England and Wales: what is the true burden and what is the potential for prevention using 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine? Arch Dis Child 2002; 86:403-406.
2. Chief Medical Officer, DoH. Preventing Meningitis; http://www.dh.gov.uk/AboutUs/MinistersAndDepartmentLeaders/ ChiefMedicalOfficer/ProgressOnPolicy/ProgressBrowsableDocument/ fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4102788&MULTIPAGE_ID=5389535& chk=Uq8NtA
3. Ispahani P et al. Twenty year surveillance of invasive pneumococcal disease in Nottingham: serogroups responsible and implications for immunisation. Arch Dis Child 2004; 89: 757-762.
4. Baraff L et al. Outcomes of bacterial meningitis in children: a meta-analysis. Paed Infect Dis J 1993; 12:389-394.
5. Drummond P et al. Community acquired pneumonia - a prospective UK study. Arch Dis Child 2000; 83:408-412.
6. Djuretic T et al. Hospital admissions in children due to pneumococcal pneumonia in England. J Infect 1998; 37:54-58