Recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination of at-risk children: a global overview (2022-2024).

BACKGROUND

Pneumococcal diseases have a major impact on childhood morbidity and mortality across the world. While any child could be infected, those with certain health conditions have an increased risk of infection and subsequent disease severity. This report provides an overview of pneumococcal vaccination policies focused on children considered to be at particular risk of pneumococcal disease.

METHODS

Risk-group targeted vaccination schedules were retrieved from the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control portals, and from countries' official governmental and/or public health websites. Additional information was gathered directly from governmental sources and specialists working in the field.

RESULTS

Of the 195 countries considered, 37.9% (74/195) provide information on vaccination policies for children with risk factors, with 85.1% of these (63/74) recommending a differentiated pneumococcal vaccination schedule. Among countries with recommendations, 65.1% (41/63) suggest administration of one or more pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) boosters after the general infant vaccination schedule, followed by the administration of the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23). In contrast, 12.7% of countries (8/63) recommend only subsequent PPV23, whereas 20.6% (13/63) recommend the administration of only PCV revaccination. PCV13 is the most frequently recommended PCV, while the higher-valency PCV15 and PCV20 are already recommended by five countries. Overall, risk-targeted recommendations vary widely according to the vaccination schedule employed, the risk conditions considered, and the level of detail of the recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS

Pneumococcal vaccination schedules specifically tailored for children with risk factors are relatively exceptional - present in about one-third of countries - in contrast to the more widely adopted routine infant vaccination schedules. When available, these risk-group recommendations vary widely by conditions and dosing. Continued guidelines development and vaccine access are needed to support the provision of pneumococcal vaccination to children with risk factors.