Pneumococcal Vaccine

The pneumococcal disease is a group of diseases caused by the streptococcus pneumonia bacteria, or pneumococcus.  They live in the mucous lining of the nose and in the back of the throat. And when they're plentiful enough, they can cause an infection in the respiratory tract, middle ear, or sinus cavities. Antibiotics such as penicillin can kill them, but up to 40 percent of the strains are resistant to antibiotics.

Pneumococcal bacteria spread by close contact and through coughing and sneezing. Diseases such as meningitis and pneumonia can crop up within days of infection.

Symptoms of pneumococcal pneumonia usually include fever and chills with shaking or trembling, as well as chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, fatigue, and weakness. Nausea, vomiting, and headaches are also associated with pneumococcal pneumonia, but are less common.

Pneumococcal bacteria also cause some of the most serious ear infections in children.

Failure to receive treatment or a failed treatment may lead to hearing loss, learning difficulties, delayed speech development, paralysis and sometimes death. 

It is quite difficult to identify a pneumococcal infection since symptoms such as fever, chills and cough can be confused with other diseases. In fact, it requires a thorough medical checkup or laboratory tests to confirm the infection

The burden of pneumococcal disease in childhood in Malaysia is high, according to the Health Technology Assessment report. At least 500,000 cases annually of otitis media (middle ear infection) occur in children less than two years, with 25,000 of these progressing to chronic otorrhea (discharge of infected pus into the ear canal) with potential to develop hearing loss; 4,000 cases annually of childhood acute respiratory (lung) infections, 200 of which result in death, and 750 cases of pneumococcal bacteremia (blood infection), resulting in between 15-20 deaths may be expected4.

Despite the severity of the disease and its burdens, pneumococcal disease is the number one vaccine-preventable death in children under five.

Recommended number of doses
Four doses.

Recommended ages

• At 2 months
• At 4 months
• At 6 months
• Between 12 and 15 months

Price range from RM 220- RM 250 per dose

Who shouldn't get the Pneumococcal vaccine?

Children who've had a life-threatening allergic reaction to a previous Pneumococcal vaccine shot or to certain other vaccines should not get the Pneumococcal vaccine vaccine. If your child has had this type of severe reaction to any immunization, talk to her doctor about whether the Pneumococcal vaccine is advisable.

Are there any precautions I should take?

Mildly ill children can be vaccinated. But if your child has a high fever or a severe illness, such as pneumonia, wait until her health improves before taking her in for the vaccine. She'll be better able to handle the immunization when she's healthy.

What are the possible side effects?

About a third of vaccinated children have redness, discomfort, or swelling at the site of the injection. A third also develop a mild fever. One in 20 has a higher fever of over 102.2 degrees.

Severe allergic reactions are rare but possible with any vaccine. See what our expert says about how to tell whether your child is having an adverse reaction.

For those high risk group, getting pneumococcal vaccination is one of the defense mechanism we could use against dying from H1N1. You might still get H1N1 but at least you have a 30% lower risk of dying from H1N1.

This is because 30% of H1N1 pneumonia related deaths are due to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Getting yourself vaccinated means you have eliminated 30% of the possible risk of dying from H1N1 pneumonia.