title: Use of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children and adolescents aged 6 - 17 years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines into infant immunization schedules has successfully reduced the incidence of pneumococcal disease caused by vaccine serotypes. Disease incidence is low in healthy 6 - 17-year-old children and young people; however, there are a number of clinical conditions that put individuals in this age group at increased risk. Expansion of the license of a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine , PCV-13, to include the 6 - 17 age group has recently been approved by European and American regulatory bodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies assessing the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in both healthy and high-risk 6 - 17-year-old children and adolescents are covered and the potential impact of PCV-13 in these populations is discussed. The use of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, PPV-23, in high-risk children and adolescents is also considered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expanding the use of PCV-13 to include high-risk children and adolescents aged 6 - 17 has the potential to prevent additional cases of disease; however, vaccination of this population may no longer be necessary when herd immunity to PCV-13 serotypes becomes fully established. Despite the broader serotype coverage of PPV-23, the benefits of this vaccine in high-risk populations are uncertain.
authors.affiliation: University of Oxford, Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine (CCVTM), Churchill Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, Oxford Vaccine Group , Old Road, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LE , UK +44 0 1865 857420 ; +44 0 1865 857420 ; johannes.trück@paediatrics.ox.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trück
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Pollard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: C538862:13-valent pneumococcal vaccine; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate