Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, also known as pneumococcus. Pneumococcal bacteria can cause many types of illnesses that range from mild to very severe. When pneumococcal bacteria spread from the nose and throat to ears or sinuses, it generally causes mild infections.
When the bacteria spread into other parts of the body, it can lead to severe health problems (pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis). Pneumococcal vaccines are very good at preventing severe disease, needing treatment in the hospital, and death Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for all children younger than 2 years old, all adults 65 years or older, and people 2 through 64 years old with certain medical conditions.
Two types of pneumococcal vaccines are now commercially available: The pneumococcal conjugated vaccine (PCV13) for infants, older adults, and people with certain health conditions and the Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) for children and adults age 2 and older, older adults, people with certain health conditions, and adults ages 19 through 64 who smoke. Both of them are now in our pipeline and are under development.
