| Many people are not informed that there is a new | | | | Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine appeared. |
| vaccine that prevents ear infections, pneumonia and | | | | This vaccine practically saves the patient from using |
| meningitis. This is the Pneumococcal conjugate | | | | antibiotics, and the parents from skipping work. |
| vaccine. | | | | The fact that the antibiotics will not be used in such |
| Kristen Steward from Plainsboro, N.J., is one of the | | | | a large number is benefic for everybody, because it |
| few parents knew about the vaccine and took her | | | | will slow the process of antibiotic resistance among |
| children for a snot. She was very impressed about | | | | Pneumococci. |
| the fact that her children wore not going to suffer of | | | | It seems that the Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is |
| ear infections any more, because she always had to | | | | effective on Streptococcus Pneumoniae too, |
| miss from work to take care of them, and they | | | | preventing infections caused by it, like pneumonia, |
| were always suffering when getting such an infection. | | | | which is a dangerous disease especially in children and |
| There exist 90 different types of Pneumococci and 7 | | | | people who have a weakened immune system. |
| of them are known to affect most frequent the | | | | Dr. Michael Pichichero, professor of pediatrics, |
| children. The Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is | | | | medicine and microbiology/immunology at the |
| designed to fight the 7 types of pneumoccocus, by | | | | University of Rochester, said that lately there were |
| helping the body to produce the antibodies needed in | | | | registered an increased number of ear infections |
| stopping this bacterium. | | | | caused by Haemophilus influenzae. This fact |
| The vaccine has been specially created for children, | | | | determines the doctors to reconsider the common |
| because they are very susceptible to the bacterium | | | | prescribed antibiotic for ear because those generally |
| and can easily get infected. There are three shots to | | | | used are not useful against Haemophilus influenzae. |
| be made, at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, and a | | | | Doctors do not know which the cause of every ear |
| booster dose taken at 15 months. | | | | infection is and to find out they should perform a ear |
| Dr. C. Grijalva assistant professor of preventive | | | | tap which can be painful and complicated. So, they |
| medicine for Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., | | | | prescribe an antibiotic for the most likely cause of |
| studied the impact of this vaccine among children and | | | | the infection, but that antibiotic could be a wrong |
| the conclusions were that the number of ear | | | | one. Lately, cephalosporins have proved to be |
| infections in young children decreased since the | | | | effective in most types of ear infections. |