Older adults in 33 high-income countries could benefit from vaccination with the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV20), according to investigators who gathered data on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) using official government websites and other sources. The use of 13-valent and 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV13 and PCV10) in pediatric National Immunization Programs (NIPs) and direct vaccination with the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine did not eliminate vaccine-serotype IPDs, the authors (mostly with Pfizer) conclude.
Average percentages of IPD serotypes among older adults (65 years or older in most countries) were as follows: “Among 52,905 cases of IPD with a serotype identified, PCV13 serotypes accounted for 33.7% of IPD (55.8% and 30.6% for countries with PCV10 and PCV13 in the pediatric NIP), most commonly serotypes 3 (14.9%) and 19A (7.0%). PCV15 and PCV20 would cover an additional 10.4% and 32.9% of older adult IPD beyond PCV13 serotypes (PCV10 countries: 7.7% and 23.3%; PCV13 countries: 10.6% and 34.6%). The most common of these additional serotypes were 8 (9.9%), 22F (7.9%), 12F (4.6%), and 11A (3.3%). PPSV23 policies for older adults were not correlated with lower IPD percentages due to PPSV23 serotypes.”