Pneumococcal Vaccination Guidelines for Children: Protecting Little Lungs

When to give shot? 

Two types of pneumococcal vaccines are available – PPSV23 and PCV15. Of these two, PCV15, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 15 is recommended for use in children as primary Immunization. 3 doses of the vaccine are given at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. This is followed by a booster dose at 12-15 months of age. 

Why should the shot be given? 

A pneumococcal vaccine should be given to protect your child against the infection. Vaccination gives adequate protection to your child against serious and potentially deadly infections of lungs and brain. It also reduces the risk of disease as well as the severity. Vaccination will protect the health of your child. 

What are the side effects? 

Pneumococcal vaccines has some mild side effects which may be present post vaccination. These include

• Pain, swelling and redness in the area where the vaccine was injected. This is not a cause for concern and it will resolve spontaneously over the next few days. 
• The child may be irritable and not feel well. The child might act fussy.
• The child can develop a slight fever. It is nothing to be concerned about and can be managed at home by paracetamol itself. Care should be taken to give appropriate doses of the medication depending on the age and weight of the child.
• The child may lose appetite for a while and refuse to feed. Appetite returns to its previous normal state in a few days. 
• Older children may complain of muscle ache and joint pain. This resolves on it’s own.

What is pneumococcus? 

Pneumococcus is used to commonly refer to the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae. It is a very common bacteria prevalent in the environment. It is usually present as a commensal in the upper respiratory tract of humans but can cause infection in low immunity and other conditions. For young children, it is a leading cause of pneumonia, ear infections and meningitis. 

What are symptoms of pneumococcal infection?

A pneumococcal infection mainly affects the lungs of the child. Besides the lungs, it can also affect other organs such as the brain, the ears or the bloodstream. As such, the main symptoms produced depending on the oragan affected are:

• Lungs – child develops fever which is followed by cough and cold. Fever is accompanied by chills in which the child feels extremely cold as the fever rises. The child may also experience difficulty in breathing. It is especially common in children under 2 years that they develop pneumonia.
• Brain – Child develops sudden fever and becomes confused mentally. The neck muscles become stiff and an extreme headache may also be present. Photophobia or sensitivity of the eyes to light can also develop.
• Bloodstream – There is presence of fever, chills and child becomes lethargic and weak 
• Ears – There is fever and the child also complains of earache. The child appears weak and sleepy. Ear infection is a milder pneumococcal infection as compared to the other sites.

Is pneumococcal infection serious?

Pneumococcal infection is especially serious for children. Children under 2 years of age are at a greater risk of developing a pneumococcal infection. As children are more susceptible to the disease, more complications like spread of the infection in the bloodstream or to the brain may also occur.

How does pneumococcal infection spread?

Pneumococcal infection spreads from person to person by droplets. It spreads on close personal contact with an infected person. Coughing and sneezing of an infected individual releases droplets which may contain the bacteria and it spreads the infection on being inhaled during respiration.