Pneumococcal disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.6 million deaths worldwide were caused by the disease in 2005, with most deaths occurring in children and the elderly. In the UK alone, pneumococcal disease killed up to 12,750 people over the age of 65 in 2008. This is comparable to the number of deaths due to colon cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer each year in the UK (10,188, 12,141 and 10,175, respectively, in 2008).

Despite the high mortality rates, pneumococcal disease remains the number one vaccine-preventable cause of death worldwide. Since 2003, the Department of Health has recommended pneumococcal vaccination in the UK for all people aged 65 and over and for those who fall into one of the clinical at-risk groups. However, there remains a significant burden of disease despite the effective implementation of current adult vaccination policy in the UK.

Vaccination against pneumococcal disease is now also part of the routine childhood immunisation programme in the UK. Since the introduction of Prevenar in 2006, there has been a fall in the number of cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in children aged 5 and under. And in the first 30 months following its introduction, Prevenar prevented an estimated 959 cases of serious illness and saved 53 lives.

This website provides healthcare professionals with all the information they need on pneumococcal disease and looks at ways to prevent the disease to help improve patient outcomes in the UK.