Evidence
of the effectiveness of Prevnar 13
When the 2+1 PCV10 schedule started in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland in 2010 replacing the PCV7, there was reporting of less incidences
of invasive pneumococcal disease. The PCV13 was found to be 75% effective after
2 doses in the first year or one dose after 12 months. The effectiveness was
90% for the PCV7 serotypes and 73% for the 4 out of 6 additional serotypes of
the PCV13. The effectiveness for serotype 3 was not much different however the
effectiveness for serotype 5 couldn’t be analysed as there was no reporting of
infections for this serotype. (Andrews, 2014). Results meta-analysis
of incidences of hospitalizations for pneumonia before and after the PCV13
showed that there was a reduction of 31% in hospitalisation for children under
24 months after the PCV13 was introduced. In children 24-59 months there was a
reduction of 24% after PCV13 was introduced which clearly shows that PCV13 had
a big effect on reducing hospitalization for pneumonia. (Alicino,
2017).
The use of Prevnar 13 used on adults over 65 was found to be proven safe and
immunogenic by the 7 studies of the clinical development programme. They found
no significant difference in safety or immunogenicity between 65-74 and 75+
groups who received the PCV13 vaccine. (Pfizer New Zealand, 2017)
Current
use of Prevnar 13 in children and adults.
Both children and adults are vulnerable to streptococcus pneumoniae and Prevnar 13 is very
effective in protecting them from the 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria that
can cause serious illnesses. Prevnar 13 is currently used in the UK for
both children and adults, its recommended to be given in 4 dose series to 2,4,6
and 12-15-month-old babies. The doses 1,2 and 3 should be given with an
interval of at least 4 weeks in-between and the last dose should be given with a
2-month interval from the third dose. (National Center for Immunization
and Respiratory Diseases, 2017) The doses are 0.5ml each which are to be
injected using a sterile needle that is attached to the supplied prefilled
syringe, in infants the preferred site is the anterolateral in the thigh. For
children between 6-17 years of age they are recommend getting a single dose of
0.5ml and adults 18+ are also to be given a single dose of 0.5ml. The preferred
site of vaccination in adults and children is the deltoid muscle of the upper
arm. (National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, 2017).
