Vaccine Proves Effective Against Streptococcus Strains In Native Americans.(Brief Article)

2001 MAY 23 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

Two separate studies conducted by Johns Hopkins School of Public Health researchers concluded that the new conjugated pneumococcal vaccine, which is sold under the brand name Prevnar, effectively protects Native-American children from seven types of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria and helps protect vaccinated children from becoming carriers of those types.

Pneumococcal infections can cause a number of serious illnesses, including deadly bacterial meningitis. The studies are the first to examine the vaccine's effectiveness in a high-risk community and the first to show that Prevnar-vaccinated children are less likely to carry the targeted types of pneumococcal bacteria.

The findings of both studies were presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 1, 2001.

"Navajo and Apache Indian children are five times more likely to have serious pneumococcal infections compared to other children in the United States. Some vaccines do not work as well among Native-American people, but our studies indicate that this new pneumococcal vaccine is extremely effective and should help prevent infections," said Katherine O'Brien, MD, who is lead author of both studies and a research professor with the Center for American Indian Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

For the first study, researchers selected more than 8,000 infants and toddlers living in 38 Navajo and White Mountain Apache Indian communities between 1997 and 1999. All of the children were between six weeks and two years of age. Each of the 38 communities was randomly assigned to receive either the pneumococcal vaccine or a control vaccine.

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