Retrospective study of the efficacy and safety of a conjugate vaccine for the prevention of pneumococcal infection in young children

Background. Since 2014, vaccination against pneumococcal infection has been included in the national vaccination schedule. With the spread of COVID-19, the need for protection against pneumococcus has only increased;, in addition, self-isolation and restrictive measures have led to disruption of the vaccination schedule for many children, which determines the need for catch-up immunization, the basic principle of which is the simultaneous administration of all necessary vaccines. Objective. Evaluation of the reactogenicity of pneumococcal conjugated vaccine (PCV) when used separately and in combination with vaccines of the vaccination schedule, as well as study of the clinical and epidemiological efficacy of vaccine prevention of pneumococcal infection according to follow-up data. Methods. Retrospective study was conducted using medical records of children aged 3 months to 3 years, healthy and with chronic pathology in remission. The main group consisted of 50 children vaccinated against pneumococcal infection using PCV; the clinical manifestations of the post-vaccination period during the first 3 days after vaccination and the development of intercurrent diseases or exacerbation of chronic diseases within 1 month after vaccination, as well as the frequency of acute otitis media (AOM) and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children of both groups for 1-4 years were analyzed. The comparison group consisted of 100 children comparable in age and health who were not vaccinated against pneumococcal infection due to the unwillingness of parents. Results. Children received 108 doses of PCV, 60 of them in combination with other vaccines, 48 separately. In all vaccinated children, the post-vaccination period proceeded uneventfully; in 92.6% of cases it was asymptomatic. There was a tendency to a higher frequency of normal vaccinal reactions with the combined administration of the vaccines (in 10%), with separate administration - 4.2%. The effectiveness of PCV vaccination for the prevention of AOM and CAP was confirmed: the incidence in vaccinated people decreased by 1.8 times for AOM - from 263.9 to 155.3, and by 9.5 times for CAP - from 92.6 to 9.7 per 1000 person-years. Conclusion. The use of PCV is a safe and effective way to prevent AOM and CAP in young children.

pneumococcal infection, conjugated vaccines