The World Health Organization (WHO) alerts that pneumococcal infections are the main cause of death. The bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae is responsible for the dangerous complications of these infections. It is this bacterium that is responsible for more deaths in the world than any other pathogen.
Infection with pneumococci
Pneumococci cause infection of the upper and lower respiratory tract, can lead to pneumonia, sepsis or severe meningitis. Bacteria are particularly dangerous because they spread extremely easily through the droplet. There are approximately 90 types (serotypes) of pneumococci differing in the structure of the polysaccharide coating. The vast majority of infections - approx. 60% - causes 10 of their types.
Pneumococci usually occur in the nasal cavity and throat of children and healthy adults
Especially in young children it is easy to inhale the nose and throat with pneumococcus, because children have an immature immune system and do not produce enough antibodies to fight against this type of bacteria. The younger the child, the more he is exposed to both the infection and the more severe course of infection.
Everyone is infected with a carrier and can infect others
Although not everyone who is diagnosed with pneumococcal disease in the nose and throat gets sick - anyone who has already become their carrier can infect others with droplets, for example during coughing, sneezing or through direct contact.
The easy spread of pneumococci is favored by:
High incidence of carrier
Common viral infections of the respiratory system (flu)
Human clusters (nurseries, kindergartens, orphanages)
Frequent use of antibiotics, thanks to which pneumococcal strains resistant to antibiotics are formed
Who is the most threatening infection?
According to WHO data, pneumococcal infections are especially dangerous for people over 65 and children under the age of 2. For example, more than 30% of pneumococcal meningitis occurs in a person over 50 years of age, whose mortality rate reaches up to 80%. In addition, pneumococcal infections most commonly affect people with chronic heart, lung, liver and kidney disease, patients with diabetes, people with impaired immunity.
Danger for children
Exposure to infections in young children results from a highly immature immune system. Full maturity and resistance to infections reach only about 12 years of age. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 2.6 million children under five die of acute respiratory infections every year in the world, including more than 1,000,000 due to pneumococcal infections.
Threat to older people
It should be remembered that in Europe and the United States (as well as in Poland) there is the phenomenon of aging of societies, and therefore diseases affecting the elderly become a very serious social problem. In the United States alone, it is estimated that there may be up to 400-500 thousand cases of pneumococcal pneumonia every year, and the mortality rate ranges from 5-10%, and in older people it can reach as much as 20%!
Pneumococci have many life-threatening complications:
- 85% of cases of sepsis
- 66% of pneumonia
- 50% of meningitis in children under the age of five. - are the most common cause of otitis media in children and infants
- Streptococcus pneumoniae also causes exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and sinusitis.
Pneumococcus cause life-threatening infants and elderly people with pneumonia
Pneumonia remains a common infectious disease leading to death, even in developed countries. According to the WHO, pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) is the most common cause of so-called "domestic" pneumonia in European countries.
Mortal infection
Over 30% of pneumococcal meningitis occurs in people over 50 years of age, in whom the mortality rate reaches even 80%! Of all people who died of pneumococcal pneumonia in Poland, despite treatment with penicillin or tetracycline, as much as 60% died within the first five days of the disease.
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HOW DO YOU FIGHT A PNEUMOKO RISK?
The problem is growing resistance constantlypneumococcifor antibiotics
"Pneumococcal diseases are increasingly difficult to cure, among others due to the emergence of new mechanisms of bacterial resistance." Antibiotics are becoming less and less effective in fighting bacteria, it is difficult to estimate how many people suffer and die from pneumococcal infections in our country. that the incidence is very high considering the lack of prevention and the often low quality of life of older people.In many cases, patients with pneumococcal antibiotic-resistant infections get in a serious condition to the hospital and require a longer stay, which also increases the cost of treatment and additional risks. Therefore, preventive measures, including preventive vaccinations, which significantly contribute to reducing the number of cases are of particular importance. " informs dr n.med. Paweł Grzesiowski from the Central Laboratory of Serums and Vaccines ..
Prevention pneumococcal
The increasing resistance of pneumococci to antibiotics significantly impedes effective treatment, which indicates the particular importance of protective vaccination. Pneumococci are one of the most common causes of invasive infections characterized by high mortality, especially in risk groups, which also include patients with diabetes, children under 2 years and the elderly - ie over 65 years.
What is the pneumococcal threat in Poland?
There is no accurate data on the occurrence of pneumococcal infections in Poland, but it is known that there may be about 100,000 cases of pneumonia each year, which, with a mortality rate of around 5-10%, causes around 10,000-5000 people annually. The number of meningitis infections increases every year. For example, in 2001, almost 2,500 cases were recorded. This makes the problem of pneumococcal infections important from the point of view of public health. Mortality is higher in infections occurring in younger children and people over 70 "- said Dr. Grzesiowski.
Groups of pneumococcal risk:
• all people over 65 years of age
• everyone ? 2 year olds staying in large human centers (kindergarten, nursery, nursing homes)
• all people under the age of 2 with co-morbid diseases such as:
They are conducive to peumonococcal infection in these people:
- chronic diseases of the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys
- diabetes
- alcoholism
- weakening of immunity
- lack of spleen
- cancers
How to defend against dangerous bacteria?
The only effective form of defense against pneumococci is protective vaccination, as well as reducing morbidity and mortality in diseases caused by streptococcus.
In most patients, a single dose of vaccine is sufficient to produce long-term immunity.
Pneumococcal vaccines are available in Poland
Clinical studies show that e.g. conjugated pneumococcal vaccine up to 97% prevents invasive pneumococcal infections in children, such as meningitis, sepsis (sepsis), bacteraemia, pneumonia. Also other vaccines are highly effective against diseases caused by the most widespread and drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae strains. Typically, the vaccine immunizes against the 20-30 most virulent strains from about 90 serotypes recognized.
Vaccination procedure
"At the moment, vaccination recommendations in healthy people speak of a single dose, a booster dose is required in people with weak immunity for 3-5 years after the first vaccination." The vaccine is very effective and the vaccination response lasts for many years.Besides, let's not forget that during the post-vaccination period we contact pneumococci in nature and they are "natural booster" vaccines, "says Dr. Grzesiowski. It is recommended to combine vaccination against pneumococcal infections with influenza vaccines.
Press release Anna Green, 141 Testardo PR
and own editorial information 2007
