Burden of the Silent Pandemic in Children

They say that what you don’t know won’t kill you – but this isn’t the case for the top killer of under-five children worldwide.

Each year, roughly a million children die from Pneumococcal Diseases or PDs – but 48% of Asian parents admit that they know nothing or little about these diseases. Given this, it’s no surprise that this silent pandemic, while preventable, is still quietly spreading its wrath.

“Pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis and otitis media— a lot of people may be familiar with them, but only few are aware that these are examples of a group of diseases known as Pneumococcal Diseases” notes Dr. Carmen Nievera, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Medical Affairs Manager. She explains that Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterial pathogen which attacks different parts of the body, is one of the main causes of invasive diseases such as meningitis, sepsis, bacteremia, and pneumonia, and other common diseases such as acute otitis media (middle ear infection) and sinusitis.

“The statistics worldwide are alarming – every minute, we have one or two children dying because of it,” shares Dr. Nievera. “And with one out of every three Filipino children diagnosed with invasive pneumococcal diseases dying, the situation in the Philippines should also be a cause for concern.”

But mortality is not the only burden associated with PDs. Imagine a two year old child never hearing his mother’s voice again or never having the chance to sing nursery rhymes. These are but some of the possible scenarios for those burdened with acute otitis media (AOM) and its complications.

“It’s actually astonishing how what’s commonly known as ‘luga’ can actually lead to hearing loss, speech defects and other developmental delays.” Dr. Nievera stresses that the otitis media scenario is proof that even if treated, pneumococcal diseases can lead to long-term consequences that are sometimes even more serious than the disease itself.

Alongside S. pneumoniae, Non-typeable H. influenzae bacterium (NTHi) is a leading cause of bacterial otitis media as well as rare cases of invasive diseases such as meningitis and bacteraemia in premature babies and newborns.

Dr. Nievera shares that infants from 0-24 months old are most susceptible to pneumococcal infection. She explains that at this age, the body has low levels of circulating antibodies, making them extremely vulnerable.

“Yes, NTHi can usually be treated with antibiotics; but this shouldn’t make us feel complacent.” Antibiotic resistance has become a major concern for physicians who have recommended the reduction of antibiotic use in children with AOM. Likewise, the bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics could result in treatment failure, longer hospitalization and more expensive alternative therapy.

Dr. Nievera explains that there are actually many serotypes causing pneumococcal diseases and that these differ depending on where you are. “Simply put, serotypes causing PDs in the United States or Canada are different from the ones found here in Asia including the Philippines. And while previous vaccines have very wide coverage in the US, this may not also be the case here.” The doctor is positive that recent vaccine innovations would be able to overcome this.”

“ The good news is, pneumococcal diseases are preventable through vaccination and we’re fortunate that prevention against PDs is continuously improving. Until recently, immunization available covers only less than 50% of the serotypes causing pneumococcal diseases in the Philippines. But with more recent innovations, broader coverage is possible, which may allow us to increase this coverage to as much as 83%.”

“At the end of the day, how this so-called ‘silent pandemic’ would affect our kids is ultimately up to us,” notes Dr. Nievera. “It is now unacceptable that a child should die or suffer from a vaccine-preventable disease. With pneumococcal diseases, keeping our eyes and minds open to new innovations or developments is a small price to pay for the chance to give the best protection for our children. Parents should ask their pediatricians about pneumococcal disease prevention as early as their first clinic visit with their babies. ”