Immune and strain surveillance of the Streptococcus pneumoniae:tools to study the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination

In 2006, the pneumococcal vaccine was introduced in the national immunization program in the Netherlands. The vaccine is administered to children in the first year of their life in a 2-3-4-months vaccination scheme, and an extra vaccination at 11 months. It protects against severe infections such as meningitis and pneumonia. The vaccine is directed against the 7 most important serotypes (out of 90) of the pneumococcus. In 2011, the vaccine was replaced by a vaccine that is directed against 10 different serotypes. When someone is infected by a pneumococcus, or a person is carrier without sympto... Mehr ...