Doctor Truong Huu Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Infectious Diseases Association and consultant for the Department of Infectious Neurology at Children's Hospital 1, stated that pneumococcus has long been considered a leading cause of pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media, and sepsis. Despite this, public awareness of the disease remains low. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, when respiratory superinfections were discussed more frequently, pneumococcus began to receive increased attention.
"Many people do not fully understand the danger of pneumococcus", Doctor Khanh stated, adding that many consider pneumonia a common respiratory illness, unaware that pneumococcus is a common pathogen preventable by vaccine.
According to Doctor Khanh, when pneumococcus is suspected of invading the lungs or meninges, doctors almost always must consider the risk of drug resistance. This makes pneumococcus increasingly difficult to treat, especially in young children, the elderly, and individuals with underlying conditions or compromised immune systems. Doctors typically do not use a single common antibiotic to treat pneumococcus but combine two or more types, sometimes even resorting to strong antibiotics.
Pneumococcus is a leading cause of pneumonia in young children, accounting for approximately 70% of hospitalizations, and the rate is also very high for meningitis. The bacteria also cause otitis media, which can lead to long-term hearing loss in children. This bacteria can reside in the throats of healthy individuals without causing symptoms, spreading through respiratory droplets during conversation or close contact. Children under 5 and adults over 60 are more susceptible to severe illness, while healthy individuals can still become "silent carriers".
The disease occurs year-round but increases when the weather changes or after respiratory viral infections like influenza and RSV, as viruses weaken mucous membranes, creating conditions for pneumococcal attack. Pneumococcus has over 100 serotypes, some of which are more likely to cause severe disease and invade the brain and bloodstream. Circulating types also change over time and by region, leading to continuous improvements in pneumococcal vaccines, from covering 7 types to 13, 14, 15, and currently 20 types. Therefore, doctors will advise patients on suitable prevention methods.
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Doctor Truong Huu Khanh. Photo: Quynh Tran |
Children can enter a vegetative state after meningitis
Many cases suffer severe sequelae due to invasive pneumococcus. Doctor Khanh cited the case of a baby over three months old who was hospitalized with drug-resistant pneumococcal meningitis. The baby's life was saved, but suffered severe neurological damage, was re-hospitalized multiple times, and became completely dependent.
Another case involved an infant a few months old who developed meningitis that progressed to a brain abscess, requiring multiple surgeries to drain pus from the skull. Treatment for invasive cases typically lasts from two weeks to several months, costing tens of millions of dong.
According to the doctor, the mortality rate from pneumococcus depends on the time of hospitalization and the severity of the illness. More concerning are the neurological sequelae after meningitis, which occur in approximately 30% of cases with varying degrees of severity. Many children are saved but cannot develop normally.
Pneumococcal vaccine expanded in national immunization program from 1/7
From 1/7, the pneumococcal vaccine will be added to the national immunization program alongside the HPV vaccine. According to Doctor Khanh, this is an important step, as many developed countries have long implemented free pneumococcal vaccination and observed clear effectiveness in reducing severe illness, hospitalizations, and antibiotic resistance.
Besides vaccination, measures such as handwashing, wearing masks when experiencing respiratory illness, avoiding kissing young children, and limiting close contact when exhibiting flu symptoms also help reduce infection risk. However, pneumococcus often resides in the throats of healthy individuals and can spread even without coughing or fever.
"This bacteria is very difficult to control with common measures; vaccination remains the most effective way to reduce severe illness and limit community transmission", Doctor Khanh said.
Le Phuong
