Pneumococcal disease is a leading cause of serious illness throughout the world. It is caused by a common type of bacteria, the pneumococcus, which can attack different parts of the body. Illnesses caused by pneumococcus include pneumonia, meningitis, middle ear and sinus infections, and a condition called bacteremia, which is an infection of the blood.

There are an estimated 175,000 hospitalized cases of pneumococcal pneumonia, 34,500 cases of bacteremia and 2,200 cases of meningitis each year in the United States. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), invasive pneumococcal disease causes about 4,800 deaths annually. Bacteremia and meningitis are responsible for the highest rates of death among the elderly and patients who have underlying medical conditions.

A vaccine has been available for more than 20 years and is recommended for routine use in everyone 65 years of age and older, all adults who smoke, people with a serious long-term health problem such as heart disease, sickle cell disease, alcoholism, leaks of cerebrospinal fluid, chronic lung disease (including COPD, emphysema and asthma), diabetes or liver cirrhosis. Still, more than one-third of people this age range has never received the pneumococcal vaccine. A different vaccine is recommended for routine use in all infants at 2, 4 and 6 months of age with a booster dose given at 12 to 15 months of age, People with reduced resistance to infection due to Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs, treatment with long-term steroids, bone marrow or organ transplant, kidney damage or failure, HIV/AIDS, lymphoma, leukemia, or other cancers, damaged spleen or no spleen.

Pneumococcal disease can also cause very serious illness in children. In fact, pneumococcal disease is the most common cause of invasive bacterial infection in US children. Children under age 2 years fall into the highest general risk group for invasive pneumococcal infections.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases is committed to educating people about pneumococcal disease and how to protect themselves and their loved ones. Talk to your health care provider about pneumococcal disease and its prevention. Being protected against this disease is especially important for adults 65 years of age and older.

Individuals with weak immune systems, sickle cell disease or a chronic illness; Alaskan Natives; certain American Indian populations; and residents of chronic or long-term care facilities are also more susceptible to pneumococcal disease. To find out more about pneumococcal disease, visit the links in this section for healthcare professionals, consumers/patients, and the media.