Epidemiological views into possible components of paediatric combined vaccines in 2015.

Efforts to develop combined vaccines for childhood immunization schedules will during the next years focus on combined administration of the existing vaccines which have already shown their impact. First candidate components for more wide-spectrum combinations could be the new antigens against severe invasive infections caused by encapsulated bacteria. Multivalent pneumococcal and meningococcal group A and C conjugate vaccines are already in clinical trials, and the same is true of the first candidates for the meningococcal group B vaccine. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are also important in prevention of a large variety of respiratory infections. Since viruses are important causative agents of bronchiolitis and pneumonia, components of the paediatric combined vaccine should include at least respiratory syncytial virus, and possibly also other respiratory viruses like parainfluenza and adenoviruses. The third group of diseases to be considered from the preventive point of view are congenital infections, and vaccines against herpes simplex viruses, cytomegalovirus, or group B streptococci might be included in a combined vaccine to be administered to adolescents in order to afford protection to their future children.