Infants At Risk- Pneumococcal disease

Infants at risk

Pneumococcal disease is serious but infection can be prevented with vaccination.

I HAD no idea what pneumonia was until my baby girl was diagnosed with it. Ros Aqidah was only three months old when she got infected. What concerned us the most was that we didn’t see it coming at all. She had no symptoms – no coughing, no running nose. All she had was a slight fever, which came and went for three days.

On the third day, alarm bells started going off in my head. Not only was baby not as responsive as she usually is, she had slept for four hours straight without waking and crying for her next feed. At that time, I noticed that she also seemed to have difficulty in breathing.

Worried, I took her to the nearest clinic. The general practitioner (GP) took one look at her and said: “Take her to the hospital now.”

The next two weeks were difficult times for us (me, baby and my family). Ros Aqidah had to be admitted into Intensive Care and put on a ventilator. To see your child, with needles and tubes going in and out of her broke my heart every time. She looked so small, so fragile and there was nothing I could do to help her. For two weeks, she received round-the-clock attention from the nurses and physicians who did their best to treat her.

During this time, I did what every helpless parent would do; I started blaming myself for her condition. Why was I not more vigilant? Why had I not been more careful? If only I knew about the disease sooner my baby would not be in the hospital.

To gain a better understanding of what my daughter was going through, I did some research and found out that pneumonia was a disease of the lungs which may be caused by infection from bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. The disease is characterised by inflammation due to infection in the lungs while symptoms include chest pain, cough, fever, phlegm and aches. For Ros, the doctors informed me that her pneumonia was caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Through my research, imagine my surprise when I found out that there was a vaccine capable of preventing this infection! Developed in 2000, this vaccine, a seven-valent pneumococcal conjugated vaccine, is specially formulated to provide infants and toddlers with the necessary protection against the disease.

Thankfully, Ros Aqidah responded to treatment and after her recovery, I immediately had her and my three other children vaccinated. My husband and I were going to do all that was necessary to ensure that we would never have to repeat this nightmare again. Made up of four separate immunisations, the vaccine would cost close to RM1,000 per child, yet, it is a small price to pay compared to watching your child lie sick in a hospital with a preventable disease.

When Ros Aqidah was discharged, I made a promise to myself to tell as many people as I could about pneumonia and how to get immunised against it. No mother should have to go through what I did, especially when there’s a vaccine that’s readily available.

So if you are a new parent, I urge you to be as informed as you can. Ask your doctor, do your own research, look for second opinions; find out as much as you can about immunisation so your child gets all the protection he or she needs. – By Ritzza Moni

What is pneumococcal disease?
Pneumococcal diseases are infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus. With more than 90 subtypes, it is a group of serious infections that occurs mostly in children, particularly those under two years of age.

Infection and transmission
There are three major conditions caused by invasive pneumococcal disease: pneumonia, bacteremia and meningitis. They are all caused by infection with the same bacteria, but have different symptoms.

After pneumococcus colonises in the upper respiratory tract, it can cause several different types of severe, invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPDs) ranging from meningitis (infection of the lining of the brain or spinal cord), pneumonia (infection of the lung), bacteraemia (blood infection), to otitis media (infection of the middle ear).

What are these illnesses?
Meningitis is the infection of the lining of the brain or spinal cord. Patients display symptoms ranging from fever, lethargy or drowsiness, vomiting and stiff neck or legs. If left untreated, meningitis can cause serious and sometimes permanent disabilities ranging from hearing loss, paralysis, mental retardation and in severe cases, death.
Bacteraemia is also known as the infection of the blood. This happens when bacteria enters the bloodstream and multiples, thus causing an infection. Symptoms range from fever, irritability and rapid breathing. If not caught at an early stage, the infection can enter the brain and cause meningitis.

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Symptoms of pneumonia are often mistaken for those of the flu, as patients exhibit cough, chest congestion, fever and chills or shaking and produce phlegm. However, early diagnosis and treatment is vital.

Otitis media is often commonly referred to as a middle ear infection. Symptoms exhibit themselves in the form of earache, muffled hearing and fever. In infants and young children frequent tugging of the ear can also be a sign of otitis media.

How serious is pneumococcal disease?
Pneumococcal disease can be very serious. It may cause permanent hearing loss, brain damage and death. Pneumococcal disease can impact the quality of life for a child and the entire family. Just think of the time spent nursing an ill child; the trips to the doctor, absence from work, even getting a young child to take medication can be time-consuming. If the child requires hospitalisation, the burden and the worry can be even greater.

How are children infected?
The pneumococcal bug is carried in the nose and throat of healthy adults and children. It can be passed from one child to another in droplets that are released into the air by sneezing and coughing.

Most children become carriers at some time or other – but not all will become sick.
Pneumococcal disease is more common in young children than adults because young children lack the right type of antibodies to fight the bacteria.

Risk factors
Some groups are at particularly high risk:
Infants below 24 months of age.
Recent day-care attendance.
At least one recent course of antibiotics.
History of recent ear infection.
Other groups at high risk include children with chronic disease or those who are immuno-compromised.
Passive smoking.

Treatment and prevention
Pneumococcal disease can be prevented by a series of vaccination for your children. Vaccination can help prevent the disease as well as reduce the spread of the bacteria to other children. Vaccination may also reduce antibiotic resistance. Vaccination against pneumococcal disease can save lives.

World Health Organisation recommendations
Because pneumococcal disease is the No.1 leading cause of death in children below five years of age that is preventable by vaccination, the WHO ranks pneumococcal vaccine as the highest priority for universal vaccination.

This feature was brought to you as “A Gift of Love from Wyeth Aid”. It represents Wyeth’s support of Datin Paduka Seri Jeanne Abdullah’s desire to raise awareness of the need to ensure that Malaysian children are given essential vaccinations to protect them from preventable diseases.