Pneumococcal disease in sub-Saharan African children: what is the effectiveness of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine?

Beatriz Larru MD, MsC, PhD Laboratorio de Imunobiología Molecular Servicio de Inmunología Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón Doctor Esquerdo 46 28007, Madrid, Spain; and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK. Email: [email protected] Streptococcus pneumoniae is still a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in developing countries. Young children represent a high-risk group for severe pneumococcal disease, not only because of their physio-logical susceptibility but also because polysaccharide vaccines are not effective for them. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have shown a high protection against pneumococcal diseases all over the world. Therefore, the expanded use of this vaccine must be considered as a major world health priority.