What diseases does the PCV-7 protect against?
The vaccine is highly effective in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease in young children. Prior to the introduction of PCV-7, pneumococcal infections caused approximately 700 cases of meningitis, 17,000 cases of bacteremia – blood stream infections – and 200 deaths each year in children under age five. Meningitis is the most severe type of pneumococcal disease. About five percent of children under 5 years old with pneumococcal meningitis will die of their infections.
