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CSU 58/2009: PROTECTING CHILDREN WITH HIV AGAINST PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE

Thursday, 24th of September 2009

CSU 58/2009: PROTECTING CHILDREN WITH HIV AGAINST PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE
 
 Writing in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Meehan and colleagues look at
 protection against pneumoccal disease in HIV seropositive children.
 
 The authors conclude 'The call is increasing to make the worldwide
 introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines an urgent public health
 priority.6, 16 We propose urgent implementation for children with HIV.
 Paediatric HAART can now be purchased through special mechanisms for as
 little as US$200 per year, the expected cost to recipient countries of
 Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization funded PCV-7 might be in the
 order of $1 per three dose course. Global vaccination of children against
 pneumococcal disease is important, but will take time; we argue that
 vaccinating children that are HIV-positive is more feasible and worth
 implementing now.'
 
 Remarkably, most of the children now receiving 7 valent pneumococcal
 vaccine, Prevnar, are those at low mortality risk in industrialized
 countries; until 2010, few children in developing countries will benefit
 from pneumococcal vaccine. The roll-in of a second pneumoccal vaccine will
 provide somewhat wider availability of pneumoccal vaccine, but several of
 the African countries with heavy HIV burdens are GAVI ineligible. So the
 vaccine is likely to remain unavailable in several countries with high HIV
 seroprevalence.
 
 Good reading.
 
 Bob Davis