A new international, randomized clinical trial is evaluating a vaccine developed to protect against 21 strains of pneumococcus, up from the current 13 strains covered now. That means greater protection to babies against the common infection that causes pneumonia, sinusitis and meningitis.

Pneumococcal disease can lead to serious illness and death among children under two years of age. The US had 31,000 cases and more than 3,500 deaths from invasive pneumococcal disease (bacteremia and meningitis)

Participants will receive four doses of the vaccine at two, four, and six months of age and a booster dose at 12-15 months. To stay within real-world conditions they will still receive the usual vaccines.


Image: National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

More strains covered is better because pneumococcal infections are caused by a common bacteria that lives in the nose and throat and can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia and severe infections of the bloodstream and lining of the brain. The new vaccine would cover the most common ones of the over 90 different strains known so far. 

First things first, as always, is safety and efficacy, and that is the role of clinical trials. This one will include more than 1600 babies across Australia, the US, Puerto Rico, Honduras, South Korea and Thailand. Participants will be enrolled in the study for up to 19 months, which will also include three blood tests.