What is a pneumococcal infection?

Pneumococcal infection broadly refers to diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (or pneumococcus), and there are more than 90 different serotypes. However, only about 10 of them cause serious disease. Pneumococcus causes not only sinusitis and middle ear infection (otitis media), but also severe and fatal invasive pneumococcal diseases such as pneumonia, septicemia, and meningitis. In young infants and the elderly, the consequences of invasive pneumococcal disease are typically severe.

*High-risk individuals include:

     History of invasive pneumococcal disease, cerebrospinal fluid leak, or cochlear implant
     Long-term cardiovascular disease (except high blood pressure without complications), lung disease, liver disease or kidney disease
     Metabolic disease including diabetes or obesity (BMI 30 or above)
     Weak immune system (due to conditions such as asplenia, HIV infection/AIDS or cancer/steroid treatment)
     Long-term neurological diseases that endanger respiratory function, difficulty in handling respiratory secretions, increased risk of foreign bodies entering the lungs, or lack of self-care ability

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