Pneumococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae and can lead to a range of illnesses, including sinusitis, middle ear infections, pneumonia, septicaemia and meningitis. Pneumococcal disease most commonly affects young children, older adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions.

There are two pneumococcal conjugate vaccines available:

Prevenar 13 – this protects against 13 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Whilst it is licensed for use from 6 weeks of age up to 17 years, it is generally used in younger children, particularly those under 2 years of age. It is routinely offered to all infants as part of the UK NHS childhood immunisation programme.

Prevenar 20 – this protects against 20 serotypes (the same 13 covered by Prevenar 13 plus an additional 7). Whilst it is licensed for use from 6 weeks of age onwards, it is generally used in older children and adults. Within the NHS, it is offered to adults aged 65 years and to individuals aged 2 years and above who are in clinical risk groups.