In Elderly

PCVs are frequently part of a national immunisation programme, resulting in high levels of use in the infant population. The use of PCV7 in infants has had a substantial effect on pneumococcal diseases in both vaccinated infants, through direct protection, and unvaccinated children and adults, through indirect protection. Indirect protection, also known as herd protection, results from the reduction in transmission rates from person to person within the community.¹

After the introduction of the first PCV, PCV7, for the immunisation of children, there was a positive overall reduction in the incidence of VT IPDs in children and adults.^1,2 From 1997 to 2006, a 38% decrease in the rate of IPDs in older adults in the United States was observed.³ However, indirect protection for IPDs in older adults due to the use of PCV7 in young children has not been universally observed in all countries owing to the varying PCV7 immunisation rates and times since the starts of each country’s paediatric NIP. While further herd effect is expected from the introduction of PCV13 in the paediatric population based on the PCV7 experience, the indirect effect from the 6 new additional serotypes included in PCV13 is currently unknown, as indirect effects have historically taken 5 to 7 years to be fully observed at the general population level.³

IPD, invasive pneumococcal disease; NIP, national immunisation programme; PCV, pneumococcal vaccine; PCV7, 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine; PCV13, 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; VT, vaccine type.

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