Invasive pneumococcal disease in England and Wales: Vaccination implications

Knowledge of the epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) will a id in planning the use of pneumococcal vaccines. A United Kingdom (UK)-base d surveillance in England and Wales (1995-1997) of 11,528 individuals with IPD and a local enhanced surveillance in the Oxford (UK) area (1995-1999) h ave been analyzed. IPD has a high attack rate in children, with 37.1-48.1 c ases per 100,000 infants <1 year old per year, and in older persons, with 2 1.2-36.2 cases per 100,000 persons >65 years old per year, for England, Wal es, and Oxford. The 7-valent conjugate vaccine includes serotypes causing l ess than or equal to 79% of IPD in children <5 years old, but only 66% in a dults >65 years old. The data also indicate that IPD varies by serotype, ag e, and country, emphasizing that the epidemiology of IPD is heterogeneous a nd requires continued surveillance.