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What is Pneumococcal disease? |
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How
serious is pneumococcal disease? |
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Pneumococcal
disease can be serious. It may cause permanent
hearing loss, brain damage and death
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Pneumococcal disease can impact the quality of
life for a child and the entire family.
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Just think of the time spent nursing an ill
child; the trip to the doctor, absence from
work, even getting a young child to take
medication can be time consuming.
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If the child requires hospitalization, the
burden and the worry can be even greater.
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Risk factors for invasive pneumococcal disease
in infants and young children. |
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Some group are at particularly high risk:
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How do children catch pneumoccoccal disease? |
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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.
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Most children become carriers at some time or
other – but not all will become sick.
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Pneumococcal disease is more common in young
children than adults because young children lack
the right type of antibodies to fight the
bacteria.
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The benefits of vaccination against pneumococcal disease. |
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Vaccination can help prevent the disease as well as
reduce the spread of the bacteria to other children.
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Vaccination may also reduce antibiotic resistance.
Vaccination against pneumococcal disease can save
lives!
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Pneumococcal disease are
infections caused by the bacterium streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus.
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It’s a group of serious
infections that occurs most commonly, in children,
particularly those under 2 years of age.
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The pneumococcus bug can
cause meningitis (infections of the lining of the brain
or spinal cord), pneumonia (infection of the lung),
bacteraemia (blood infection), as well as otitis media
(infection in the middle ear).
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What are these illnesses? |
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Meningitis
(infection of the lining of the brain or spinal cord) |
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Can cause serious and sometimes permanent disabilities
including hearing loss, paralysis, mental retardation
and death.
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Symptoms: fever, lethargy or drowsiness, vomiting and
stiff neck or legs.
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Bacteramia
(Blood
infection) |
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Occurs
when bacteria enter the bloodstream and cause infection
of the blood.
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Can
also develop into meningitis.
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Symptoms: fever, irritability and rapid breathing.
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Pneumonia
(infection of the lungs) |
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Symptoms: cough, chest congestion, production of phlegm,
fever and chills / shaking.
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Early
diagnosis and treatment is vital. |
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Otitis
media
(middle
ear infection) |
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Symptoms: ear-ache, fever and frequent tugging of the
ear.
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How do
you treat and prevent pneumococcal disease? |
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Meningitis and bacteraemia can develop very quickly so
it is vital that treatment is provided without delay.
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Antibiotics are used to treat these disease and are
effective in more cases if started in time.
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However, a small number of bacteria are resistant to
some antibiotics, which results in longer periods in
hospital with greater cost. Pneumococcal disease can be
prevented by a series of vaccination for your children.
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