In France, if vaccination against the two main bacteria responsible for severe infections (pneumococcal and meningococcal C vaccines) has become compulsory for all children born from 1st January 2018, most meningococcal C-related deaths occur in children who did not have their up-to-date immunization records.
A study carried out in collaboration with city pediatricians in the Grand-Ouest, over a period of 5 years, and published in 2018 in the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology aimed to determine, in children with a severe bacterial infection, the share of those which could have been avoided by a complete vaccination received within the deadlines of the official recommendations.
An easily preventable infection
All children aged 1 month to 16 years in the Greater West of France, admitted to pediatric intensive care or died before their admission due to a severe bacterial infection, had been prospectively analyzed over 5 years (from 2009 to 2014). An infection was considered theoretically preventable by vaccination if the child had an absent or incomplete vaccination and if the bacterial strains identified in his body were targeted by the vaccines recommended at the time of the infection.
According to the results of this study, meningococcus and pneumococcus remained the main bacteria causing severe infections in children (65%). They are also responsible for 71% of deaths and almost half of cases of serious sequelae.
Only 39% of children were properly vaccinated against these bacteria and 61% therefore had a non-existent or incomplete vaccination. A heartbreak when we know that the pneumococcal and anti-meningococcal C vaccines were introduced into the vaccination calendar in France in 2002 and 2009. In the end, 25% of deaths and 25% of cases of sequelae were preventable by simple application of official vaccination recommendations.
Interested in this topic ? Come and discuss it on our forum!
–
–
