Pneumococcal meningitis: Epidemiological profile pre- and post-introduction of the pneumococcal 10-valent conjugate vaccine

Objectives to evaluate the possible effects of the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate 10-valent vaccine schedule in the state of parana on pneumococcal meningitis cases and to assess the distribution of serotypes among cases. method cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection of cases of pneumococcal meningitis in the state of paraná reported to sistema de informação de agravos de notificação (sinan),from 1998 to 2011. a total of 1,339 cases of pneumococcal meningitis were analyzed; 1,205 cases from the pre-vaccine period (1998-2009) were compared to 134 cases from the post-vaccine period (2010-2011). descriptive and comparative statistical analyses (chi-squared test and prevalence ratio) were performed using jmp 5.1.2 statistical software (jmp statistical discovery,north carolina,usa) and epi info 6 (centers for disease control and prevention,georgia,eua). results there was a significant reduction in the mean rates of incidence and mortality in the general population. the analysis of cases in the pre- and post-vaccination periods in the age groups covered by vaccination (younger than 2 years) showed significant reductions in incidence rates (6.01 cases/100,000 to 2.49 cases/100,000 individuals) and mortality (1.85 cases/100,000 population to 0.47 cases/100,000 population),while the mean lethality rate did not change significantly. there was a significant reduction in cases whose serotypes are included in the vaccine (80.7% to 53.3%). conclusion even after a short time of use,the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has already had a significant impact in reducing the incidence and mortality of meningitis cases among infants,as well as the reduction of cases whose serotypes are included in the vaccine. © 2014 sociedade brasileira de pediatria.