Dramatic research findings reveal the pneumococcal disease burden is staggering in Asia Pacific countries
-- Data highlights the potential of vaccine-preventable public health intervention to reduce childhood deaths --
Jakarta - Medianet International-AsiaNet/ - Pneumococcal disease (PD) is the leading cause of death among children five years and younger, particularly in the developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region and until now, data on pneumococcal disease from Asia Pacific countries have been limited.
A study presented overnight at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD) in Reykjavik, Iceland indicates that routine childhood vaccination wit the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) could prevent a considerable proportion of this disease in vaccinated children, as well as unvaccinated adults.[1]
Furthermore, presentations at the conference confirm that PCV7 is a highly costeffective public health intervention, based on World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.[2]
"While there is a compelling body of evidence demonstrating the public health and economic impact of routine childhood vaccination with PCV7 in a number of countries, we now have data from Asia that convincingly support these benefits regionally," says Kenneth K.C. Lee, Ph.D., professor and associate director of External Affairs, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China.
Not only does immunisation provide protection to children and infants, it also can protect adults as well. Known as "herd protection"; it is an important indirect benefit extended to adults following the routine vaccination of children, and is an important consideration in economic evaluations.
"By routinely vaccinating our children against pneumococcal disease, we have the ability to help protect the broader community unvaccinated children, parents and grandparents and, with evidence that routine vaccination represents a sound economic investment, there is no reason to delay action to help save lives now," says Dr Lee.
One study of pneumococcal disease burden across Asian countries reported incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) among children younger than five years of age ranging from 30.9 cases per 100,000 in Japan to 276 cases per 100,000 in Bangladesh.[1]
Importantly, the data also highlight that PCV7 could help prevent between 57% and 91% of IPD cases in children younger than two years of age in Asia.[1] Importantly, the data highlights that in South East Asia, up to 28 million cases of clinical pneumonia may be prevented annually by widespread use of PCV7. In the Western Pacific Region, up to 15.8 million cases of clinical pneumonia may be prevented annually.[1]
Inclusion of PCV7 to a national immunisation program in Indonesia may play a vital role as the statistics from Indonesia show total number of pneumonia cases as high as 6 million and total number of under-five deaths due to pneumonia around 25,000 (2004 data). [3]
The health model for a universal vaccine intervention has proven to be successful in other societies. In the US, since the introduction of PCV7, pneumonia hospitalizations declined by 39%. [1]
PCV7, the only licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, is part of the routine national childhood immunization schedule in only approximately 20 countries around the globe.[4]
The evidence presented overnight at ISSPD forms a compelling case to government for the inclusion of PCV7 in national immunisation programs across Asia Pacific.
References:
[1] Kim Soonae, Nyambat B, Kilgore P, et al.
Assessment of Vaccine-Preventable Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Burden Among Children aged <5 years in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Abstract presented at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD).
[2] World Health Organization. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for childhood immunization, March 2007- WHO position paper. Wkly Epidemiol Record 2007;12: 93-104. [3] Pneumonia: The forgotten killer of children, The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)/World Health Organization (WHO), 2006. [4] Data on file, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Media Contact:
Wendy Qin
+61 2 8424 8539
+61 404 101 742
SOURCE:
Wyeth Asia Pacific
-- Data highlights the potential of vaccine-preventable public health intervention to reduce childhood deaths --
Jakarta - Medianet International-AsiaNet/ - Pneumococcal disease (PD) is the leading cause of death among children five years and younger, particularly in the developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region and until now, data on pneumococcal disease from Asia Pacific countries have been limited.
A study presented overnight at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD) in Reykjavik, Iceland indicates that routine childhood vaccination wit the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) could prevent a considerable proportion of this disease in vaccinated children, as well as unvaccinated adults.[1]
Furthermore, presentations at the conference confirm that PCV7 is a highly costeffective public health intervention, based on World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.[2]
"While there is a compelling body of evidence demonstrating the public health and economic impact of routine childhood vaccination with PCV7 in a number of countries, we now have data from Asia that convincingly support these benefits regionally," says Kenneth K.C. Lee, Ph.D., professor and associate director of External Affairs, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China.
Not only does immunisation provide protection to children and infants, it also can protect adults as well. Known as "herd protection"; it is an important indirect benefit extended to adults following the routine vaccination of children, and is an important consideration in economic evaluations.
"By routinely vaccinating our children against pneumococcal disease, we have the ability to help protect the broader community unvaccinated children, parents and grandparents and, with evidence that routine vaccination represents a sound economic investment, there is no reason to delay action to help save lives now," says Dr Lee.
One study of pneumococcal disease burden across Asian countries reported incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) among children younger than five years of age ranging from 30.9 cases per 100,000 in Japan to 276 cases per 100,000 in Bangladesh.[1]
Importantly, the data also highlight that PCV7 could help prevent between 57% and 91% of IPD cases in children younger than two years of age in Asia.[1] Importantly, the data highlights that in South East Asia, up to 28 million cases of clinical pneumonia may be prevented annually by widespread use of PCV7. In the Western Pacific Region, up to 15.8 million cases of clinical pneumonia may be prevented annually.[1]
Inclusion of PCV7 to a national immunisation program in Indonesia may play a vital role as the statistics from Indonesia show total number of pneumonia cases as high as 6 million and total number of under-five deaths due to pneumonia around 25,000 (2004 data). [3]
The health model for a universal vaccine intervention has proven to be successful in other societies. In the US, since the introduction of PCV7, pneumonia hospitalizations declined by 39%. [1]
PCV7, the only licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, is part of the routine national childhood immunization schedule in only approximately 20 countries around the globe.[4]
The evidence presented overnight at ISSPD forms a compelling case to government for the inclusion of PCV7 in national immunisation programs across Asia Pacific.
References:
[1] Kim Soonae, Nyambat B, Kilgore P, et al.
Assessment of Vaccine-Preventable Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Burden Among Children aged <5 years in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Abstract presented at the 6th International Symposium on Pneumococci & Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD).
[2] World Health Organization. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for childhood immunization, March 2007- WHO position paper. Wkly Epidemiol Record 2007;12: 93-104. [3] Pneumonia: The forgotten killer of children, The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)/World Health Organization (WHO), 2006. [4] Data on file, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Media Contact:
Wendy Qin
+61 2 8424 8539
+61 404 101 742
SOURCE:
Wyeth Asia Pacific
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