The Association of Preventive Medicine in partnership with the Representative Office in HCM City of Pfizer Thailand Ltd. held two scientific symposiums to mark the 20-year journey of the pneumococcal vaccine. Photo Courtesy of Pfizer

HCM CITY— Health experts strongly recommended vaccinations to prevent severe diseases caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium, which can be dangerous for infants and people with chronic conditions.

Speaking at recent symposiums in Hà Nội and HCM City, Professor Ron Dagan, of Soroka University Hospital in Be'er-Sheva, Israel said: “Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterium that is resistant to many antibiotics, and the treatment is often difficult, prolonged and costly.

“They have several serotypes and can spread through the respiratory tract or from sick to healthy people,” Dagan said.

“The diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae are particularly dangerous for infants and people with chronic conditions such as COPD, tuberculosis, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Therefore, in order to prevent  severe diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, vaccination is strongly recommended,” he added.

Professor Mark van der Linden, of Aachen University in Germany, said: “Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) were developed corresponding to the common serotypes of pneumococcal bacteria by geography, space and time. In particular, the major breakthrough development of the PCVs used for both children and adults has brought a positive impact on public health by reducing the national health cost burden, especially in the context of a pandemic."

The symposiums were organised by the Association of Preventive Medicine in partnership with the Representative Office in HCM City of Pfizer Thailand Ltd. to mark the 20-year journey of the pneumococcal vaccine.

More than 900 healthcare professionals, doctors and medical experts discussed the latest information on prevention of pneumococcal conjugate diseases.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterium commonly found in the oropharynx of adults and children. This bacterium causes four dangerous diseases: meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia and acute otitis media. These diseases may induce severe consequences in its progress or after recovery, or even lead to death. 

According to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, among the pneumococcal related diseases, pneumonia has a mortality rate of 10 per cent – 20 per cent. This rate can even reach 50 per cent in high-risk population such as young children and the elderly.

Health experts said that with meningitis, in addition to a child mortality rate of up to 50 per cent, patients can suffer from long-term complications such as deafness, blindness, paralysis, epilepsy, mental retardation, poor memory, and chronic headaches. VNS