Pneumococcal Vaccine May Decrease Risk for Ear Infections in Children
Children who receive the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV10) are less likely to experience acute otitis media (AOM) than children who do not receive the vaccine, according to new research.
The study, which was population-wide in Iceland, included data from all primary care visits due to AOM from 2005 to 2015 in children aged younger than 3 years. In all, the researchers reviewed patient data on 53,150 children.
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Compared with children who received the PHiD-CV10 vaccine, unvaccinated children had a higher incident rate of AOM (38 episodes per 100 person-years vs 43 episodes per 100 person-years) and a higher mean number of episodes (1.37 episodes per child vs 1.61 episodes per child).
The vaccine impact on all-cause AOM was 22%. And while the incidence rate for AOM was significantly reduced in all age brackets, the largest reduction was in children aged younger than 4 months.
“The impact of PHiD-CV10 on all-cause AOM was considerable, mediated mainly by preventing the first two episodes of AOM,” the researchers concluded. “A decrease in the [incidence rate] of AOM in children too young to receive direct vaccine protection was demonstrated, suggesting herd effect.”
—Colleen Murphy
Reference:
Sigurdsson S, Eythorsson E, Hrafnkelsson B, Erlendsdóttir H, Kristinsson KG, Haraldsson Á. Reduction in all-cause acute otitis media in children <3 years of age in primary care following vaccination with 10-valent pneumococcal haemophilus influenzae protein-D conjugate vaccine: a whole-population study. Clin Infect Dis. 2018;67(8):1213-1219.