Pneumococcal disease is a leading cause of illness and death worldwide. Although infection can affect anyone, young children, older people and certain at-risk groups of people have an increased risk of developing the disease. To read more about who is at risk of pneumococcal infection click here.

Pneumococcal disease tends to be more common during winter and when influenza and other respiratory viruses are circulating. In the UK there are up to 500,000 adult cases of pneumonia each year, of which an estimated 42% are due to Streptococcus pneumoniae infection.

In 2008, pneumococcal disease killed up to 12,750 people in the UK over the age of 65. This is comparable to the number of deaths in the UK due to colon cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer each year (10,188, 12,141 and 10,175 respectively, in 2008).

Pneumococcal disease also represents an increasing burden on the NHS. Between 22-42% of adults with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the UK are admitted to hospital. Furthermore, the number of hospital admissions for CAP has more than doubled since 2002/3. To find out more about the impact of pneumococcal disease download our fact sheet.