Effect of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on mortality from lower respiratory infections and pneumonia among under-fives.
Paulo Camargos, Linjie Zhang, Cristiana M Nascimento-Carvalho
Author Information
Paulo Camargos: School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Pulmonology Unit, University Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte, Brazil. ORCID
Linjie Zhang: School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of Rio Grande , Rio Grande, Brazil. ORCID
Cristiana M Nascimento-Carvalho: School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of Bahia , Salvador, Brazil. ORCID
There is a well-known inverse association between mortality rate from infectious diseases and improvements in socioeconomic status, even though longer time-series are required to demonstrate this relationship. This general rule seems to apply to mortality from pneumonia in children in the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) era. Two recent published secular trend studies spanning from about 30 years among Brazilians under the age of five show either no effect of PCV - not even death rate decline from pneumococcal meningitis - or a modest one (8% reduction). Time-series mortality studies from pneumonia are needed for both, developed and developing countries, those who have implemented PCV or not. Results from these studies would provide critical input and feedback to public health policy makers.
