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Background:
Over 14 million people die from infectious diseases every year throughout the world. Most of these diseases have become extremely rare in Northern Ireland. They have become rare because there are high uptake levels for vaccinations in Northern Ireland and the vaccinations have been very good at getting rid of the diseases.
Some pneumococcal bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics in the UK and worldwide. As the disease becomes harder to treat because of this resistance, its prevention by immunisation becomes more important.
The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine will be introduced to the routine childhood immunisation programme throughout the UK during 2006 to protect against pneumococcal infection.
Pneumococcal infection is responsible for both severe and everyday illnesses, especially in babies, young children and the elderly. It is a major cause of life threatening illnesses such as meningitis (inflammation around the brain), septicaemia (blood poisoning) and severe pneumonia. These occur when the pneumococcal bacteria infect the bloodstream – invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Pneumococcal infection also causes less serious but common illnesses such as ear infections (otis media), mild pneumonia (where infection is restricted to the lungs) and bronchitis.
The pneumococcal vaccine has been used successfully in the USA for the past five years and in the UK with children at an increased risk of pneumococcal disease because of a medical condition for the past four years.
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety commissioned the Health Promotion Agency to develop and implement a public information campaign to raise awareness of the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine to the routine childhood immunisation programme in Northern Ireland.
All children under two years of age will be invited to receive the pneumococcal vaccine. |
