Pneumococcal disease in United States children: prevalence and treatment.

The emergence and spread of drug-resistant pneumococcal strains among infants and young children in the United States have complicated the management of infections such as community-acquired pneumonia, meningitis, bacteraemia and OM. The rapidly escalating prevalence of drug-resistant S. pneumoniae and the limited therapeutic options to successfully treat these resistant organisms accentuate the need for vaccine prevention. Successful trials with the pneumococcal 7-valent conjugate vaccine have demonstrated that it is highly effective against invasive disease, safe and immunogenic in infants, who are a high-risk population for pneumococcal disease. Trials evaluating the efficacy of this vaccine against OM and pneumonia are in progress. The pneumococcal 7-valent conjugate vaccine should provide physicians with an effective means of preventing pneumococcal infections.