What's on the web for family physicians - pneumococcal vaccine

Alfred KY Tang 鄧權恩

WHO position paper on pneumococcal vaccines
http://www.who.int/wer/2012/wer8714.pdf

World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a position statement on pneumococcal vaccines back in April 2012. Apart from coverage on safety profile, efficacy and duration of protection of the various pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), It covers detailed description of the pathogen and transmission of the pneumococcal disease, its epidemiology, and the available pneumococcal vaccines in the market. An online handbook on PCV13 for health professionals is available at
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/90380/1/WHO_IVB_13.10_eng.pdf
Other resources and training materials related to pneumococcal vaccines can also be found at
http://www.who.int/nuvi/pneumococcus/resources/en/index.html

Invasive Pneumococcal Disease(IPD) by Centre of Health Protection (CHP), Hong Kong
http://www.chp.gov.hk/en/view_content/32346.html

In response to recent fatal cases of pneumococcus infection caused by serotype 3 pneumonococcus, CHP has set up a new webpage on IPD. Updates of information pertaining to the pneumococcal infection can be found here. A Scientific committee meeting was held on 25th November 2013 to examine the global and local IPD situation, especially caused by serotype 3 pneumococcus. The statement issued was published at http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201311/25/P201311250705.htm
However, in view of the concern spreading across the community, CHP announced its booster vaccination program on childhood with 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV-13). The announcement by the Secretary for Food and Health in the Legislative Council on Nov 27, 2013 can be found here (http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201311/27/P201311270392.htm ). Frequently Asked Questions on Pneumoccocal Infection and Pneumoccocal Vaccines can also be found at the website at
http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/faqs_on_pneumoccocal_infection_and_pneumoccocal_vaccines.pdf

Other CHP webpages on PCV includes:
Information on Pneumococcal Vaccination for Elders
www.chp.gov.hk/en/exhibition_details/2713/0.html
http://healthmedicinet.com/news/lc-urgent-q1-invasive-pneumococcal-disease/
and Recommendations on the Use of 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Childhood Immunisation Programme
http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/recommendations_on_the_use_of_13valent_pneumococcal_conjugate_vaccine_in_cip_r.pdf.

Pneumococcal vaccine
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/pneumococcal-vaccination.aspx

This is a simple-to-read website giving basic information about pneumococcal vaccine. It answers the basic questions on who should and should not have the vaccine, how often one should have the vaccine, What are the two types of vaccine, and what are the side effects of pneumococcal vaccine.

Pneumococcal vaccination: who needs It?
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/pneumo/vacc-inshort.htm

The CDC website is a valuable and resourceful website on pneumococcal infection and its vaccines.This webpage aims to answer the questions like "who needs, pneumococcal vaccines" and "how effective are they?" Vaccine recommendations for children and adults are described in detail, including the time interval needed when more than one pneumococcal vaccines are involved. Side effects of PCV13 and PPSV23 are also outlined. Vaccine information statement (VIS) of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine are available at (http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/pcv13.pdf).

Impact of conjugate pneumococcal vaccines on the changing epidemiology of Pneumococcal infections
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/740465_1

After several years of usage of PCVs, non-covered serotypes have become more and more important in different parts of the world. The effectiveness of the new PCVs over the coming year has been c los e ly monitored. There is a growing concern regarding serotype replacement and disease caused by pneumococcal serotypes not included in the current vaccine formulations. The increase in the nonvaccine serotypes could be due to the introduction of new clones or expansion of existing clones, or possibly due to capsular switch of resident bacteria. The effectiveness of these new vaccines on the covered strains are also evaluated. Articles on serotype replacement of pneumococcal infection can be found at the website of Medscape.

The Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP)
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/

ACIP provides advice and guidance on control of vaccine-preventable diseases worldwide. The ACIP develops written recommendations for administration of different types of vaccines to the pediatric and adult populations, together with vaccination schedules regarding appropriate periodicity, dosage, and contraindications. ACIP statements are official federal recommendations for the use of vaccines in the United States, and these are then published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.