GUARDING AGAINST PNEUMONIA

There is a group of bacteria, collectively referred to as pneumococci, that can cause serious disease. As the name suggests, they cause pneumonia, as well as meningitis and middle-ear infections. Pneumococcal diseases have high morbidity and mortality rates, and they are a leading cause of death worldwide. The disease effects appear to be the result of irreversible physiological damage caused by the bacteria during the first 5 days of the illness. This sometimes occurs despite effective antibiotic therapy.

There is another problem as well: the increasing number of bacterial strains - including pneumococci - that are resistant to antibiotics. There are lots of reasons for this predicament: injudicious and non-selective use of antibiotics, patients failing to complete their full prescribed course of antibiotic therapy, and the impressive ability of bacteria to mutate into new variants.

Ponder some statistics for the United States:

400,000 - 500,000 cases of pneumococcal pneumonia annually, with fatality rates of 5 to 10 percent resulting in 20,000 to 50,000 deaths per year.



Annual incidence of pneumococcal meningitis is about 1.5 to 2.5 cases per 100,000 people. One-half of these cases are in children, and the mortality rate is about 40 percent. Even the most aggressive antibiotic therapy is often ineffective.

And these numbers are increasing. Populations at particular risk include those with certain chronic diseases (specifically those affecting the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, or kidneys), blood disorders (such as sickle-cell anemia), and those with a history of alcohol abuse. And there are other medical conditions that make pneumococcal infections especially dangerous.

There is a vaccination now available for pneumococcal bacteria - PNEUMOVAX - and it is recommended for persons 50 years of age and older or who have one of a number of risk factors. These are too numerous and detailed to be discussed adequately here.

Jefferson Lab Medical Services is offering the vaccine to lab employees. Call (269-7539) and ask for more information on risk factors and side effects, or to schedule an appointment if you are among the recommended vaccination groups.

Those with impaired immune systems



People with no spleen or splenic deficiencies



Sickle-cell anemia victims and others with severe blood diseases



Those with Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, and nephrotic syndrome