loader image
Thursday, October 23, 2025
91.1 F
McAllen
- Advertisement -

Pneumococcal Disease: A Vaccine Preventable Threat

Translate to Spanish or other 102 languages!

The bottom line: Pneumococcal disease is one of the leading causes of illness among children and seniors. The potentially deadly pneumococcal bacteria causes pneumonia, but it also causes meningitis, sinusitis, sepsis, and ear infections. However, a pneumococcal vaccine can protect both children and adults.

Mega Doctor News

- Advertisement -

As originally published by Mega Doctor News in its newsprint edition June 2018

Patients rarely know it by name, but pneumococcal disease kills more Americans than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined. “[Pneumococcal bacteria] cause lung infections (pneumonia), brain infections [meningitis], sinusitis, blood infections, and ear infections,” said Dr. Elizabeth C. Knapp, an Austin pediatrician. “Early in my pediatric career, I cared for a 3-year-old girl who had an ear infection — her crying did not improve with the antibiotics [because] the bacteria had spread to her brain.” The bacteria can cause very serious conditions. “People die from pneumococcal diseases,” she said.

Pneumonia is one of the bacteria’s most severe illnesses. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 900,000 Americans contract pneumonia each year and as many as 7 percent of those sick enough to be hospitalized die from it.

- Advertisement -

In 2013, 3,700 Americans died from pneumococcal meningitis and bacteremia. Two years later, a 2015 CDC report said 95 percent of pneumococcal deaths in the U.S. were adults. Worldwide, about 500,000 children younger than five die from pneumococcal illnesses each year, making it one of the top killers of young people, according to the World Health Organization.

Symptoms vary depending upon which pneumococcal disease strikes. They include high fever, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, and vomiting. After the disease strikes, the illness can cause hearing loss, brain damage, or death.

Pneumococcal vaccines prevent these complications for both children and adults. Physicians can advise which shot is best for a given patient. A four-dose series is standard for children; a two-dose series is standard for adults.

In the 1940s, physicians believed antibiotics could cure pneumococcal bacterial infections, so there was little call for a vaccine. However, some people still died after treatment. The first vaccine was introduced in 1977, but it did not adequately protect children. However, a childhood vaccine introduced in 2000 has caused a nearly 80-percent drop in invasive pneumococcal disease among U.S. children.

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

More Articles

Persistence in Adversity Foundation Launches 6th Annual Blanket Drive

Dr. Esmeralda Adame, founder of the Persistence in Adversity Foundation, is once again rallying the Rio Grande Valley community for a cause that brings both warmth and compassion. The foundation has launched its 6th Annual Blanket Drive, aiming to collect 1,000 new blankets for families, the elderly, and those in need across the region.

Dr. Ali Kilic: Advancing Patient-Centered Reconstructive Surgery in the Rio Grande Valley

At the 2025 DHR Health Fashion Show & Gala Honoring Heroic Patients, held on October 15 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, Dr. Ali Kilic, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and Hand Surgeon at DHR Health, was recognized for his commitment to patient-centered reconstructive care and his role in empowering women to reclaim their confidence after breast cancer treatment. The event, themed “A Celebration of Strength, Courage, and Empowerment,” celebrated breast cancer survivors who have undergone reconstruction and honored the physicians who help them heal.

Dr. Lisa Chapa: Empowering Women Through Compassionate Breast Cancer Care

At the 2025 DHR Health Fashion Show & Gala Honoring Heroic Patients, held on October 15 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, Dr. Lisa Chapa, Breast Cancer Surgeon at DHR Health, delivered a moving and insightful message about the importance of patient empowerment, education, and collaboration in breast cancer care. Her remarks reflected the event’s theme — “A Celebration of Strength, Courage, and Empowerment” — and underscored the compassion that drives her work.

Dr. Mauricio De La Garza: Advancing Breast Reconstruction with Compassion and Innovation

During the 2025 DHR Health Fashion Show & Gala Honoring Heroic Patients, held on October 15 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, Dr. Mauricio De La Garza, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and Chairman of the Plastic and Reconstructive Institute at DHR Health, delivered an impactful address highlighting the significance of breast reconstruction awareness and the ongoing innovations that are transforming patient outcomes.
- Advertisement -
×