FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
Pneumococcal Disease
Why you should vaccinate adults against pneumococcal disease- Invasive pneumococcal infection kills thousands of people in the U.S. each year. In 2006, about 41,000 cases of invasive disease caused 5,000 U.S. deaths, most of which occurred among those aged 65 and older.
- Approximately half of the deaths occurring annually from pneumococcal infection could be prevented through use of the vaccine.
- As many as 175,000 people are hospitalized due to pneumococcal pneumonia in the U.S. each year. The case-fatality rate of pneumococcal pneumonia is 5 to 7 percent and may be much higher among the elderly.
- More than 50,000 cases of pneumococcal bacteremia occur in the U.S. each year. The overall case-fatality rate for bacteremia is about 20 percent, but may be as high as 60 percent among the elderly.
- Approximately 3,000 to 6,000 cases of pneumococcal meningitis occur each year in the U.S. The case-fatality rate of pneumococcal meningitis is approximately 30 percent, but may be as high as 80 percent among the elderly.
NFID’s Pneumococcal Disease Advisory Board’s Statement
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Higher Pneumococcal Disease Vaccination Rates Needed to Protect More At-Risk US Adults
Published in Postgraduate Medicine
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