[Pneumococcal vaccine].

Abstract

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of systemic infection and respiratory tract infection. All age groups may be affected, but the highest rates of pneumococcal disease occur among young children and elderly individuals. Now, two pneumococcal vaccines are available in Japan. The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine(PPV23) is the vaccine to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia among adults. The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) is the vaccine to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease and respiratory tract infection among young children. Unfortunately, so far, both of the vaccines have used as a voluntary vaccine in Japan. The widely use of PPV23 and PCV7 is expected for the prevention of pneumococcal disease in Japanese people.