Population-based impact of routine infant immunization with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the USA

Abstract

In the year 2000, a heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was licensed and recommended for routine immunization of infants in the USA. During the following years, a number of studies documented the impact of this immunization program on rates of invasive pneumococcal disease, pneumonia and otitis media. This article aims to summarize current evidence on the population-based impact of this infant immunization program in the USA.

Keywords::

• immunization
• invasive pneumococcal disease
• otitis media
• pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
• pneumonia
• serotypes

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was funded in part by the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreement (TS-1392) and grant number 1R03 HS016784 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Grijalva and Griffin reported receiving speaker honoraria from Wyeth, the manufacturer of the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.