How do people get middle ear infections and meningitis from Streptococcus pneumoniae?
These infections are caused when Streptococcus pneumoniae that often resides in the throat spreads to the middle ear, sinuses or lungs. On rare occasions, they can invade the meninges, leading to meningitis. These infections are more common in the winter months. The causative organism is widespread and is present in the throats of 5 — 10% of healthy adults and 20 — 40% of children at any given time. Most of the time these organisms do not cause infection but a small proportion of otherwise healthy people are not able to develop effective immunity to the organisms and may develop one of the infections mentioned above. Is there a way to protect myself or my family from pneumococcal infection? There is a vaccine that is recommended for people who are prone to serious forms of pneumococcal infection. The pneumococcal vaccine is currently recommended for individuals with chronic pulmonary disease, advanced cardiovascular disease, diabetes, alcoholism, cirrhosis, chronic renal insufficiency,
