Single Dose of Pneumococcal Vaccine Shown to substantially Protect Children Against Invasive Disease
New research indicates a single dose of pneumococcal conjugate vaccineโค (PCV) can provide โsignificant protection against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) โin children, offering a potential strategy for optimizing vaccination schedules and reaching underserved populations.A systematic literature review, published in Infectious Diseases Therapy (2025), found โthat PCV7, PCV10, and PCV13 administered during teh first year of life demonstrate effectiveness against IPD, with protection increasing as children age.
The study, led by Dunne,โข Hong, Althouse, โand colleagues, marks the first systematic review to specifically examine the effectiveness of a single PCV dose against vaccine-type IPDโข in children. Investigators concluded that “Our findings support vaccination strategies basedโ on the use of โa singleโ toddler dose in transition schedules or catch-up programs.”
Pneumococcal disease, caused โby โthe bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, can led to serious โฃinfections like pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections. While current recommendations typically involve a series of PCV doses, theโ research suggestsโค choice โขapproaches may be viable, notably in situations where completing the โขfull series is challenging. The findings could be especially impactful in under-resourced areas where single-dose vaccination campaigns โcould maximize community protection.Researchers โacknowledge the need for โfurther inquiry intoโ theโข effectiveness of newer, higher-valencyโ PCVs in both fully and incompletelyโข vaccinated children. Background data fromโ Musher, Anderson, and Feldman (2022) in Pneumonia highlights the ongoing challenges in pneumococcal โขvaccination despiteโ its remarkable history. The World Healthโค Organization, GAVI Alliance, UNICEF, and the CDC reportedโ progress in pneumococcalโฃ conjugate vaccine introduction worldwide between 2000 and 2008 (2008 MMWR). Current recommendations from โคthe CDC โ(October 26, 2024,โค accessed September 2, 2025) and considerations for policymakers regarding dosing schedules โ(Whitney, Goldblatt, andโ O’Brien, 2014 Pediatr Infect Dis J) continue โคto shape vaccination strategies. A โฃstudy in Brazil โขalso demonstrated the effectiveness of aโ ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine โข(Domingues โet al.,2014 Lancet Respir Med).