Pneumococcal Infections Spike During Flu Pandemic

(December 27, 2009) - Influenza isn't the only serious respiratory illness people need to be thinking about when it comes to this busy flu season. (Read about "Influenza" "Respiratory System") The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say it is seeing an increase in serious pneumococcal infections across the country.

"We know that influenza infections can reduce the lining of the respiratory tract and really set somebody up for secondary pneumonia (Read about "Pneumonia")," said Anne Schuchat, M.D., director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "Common bacteria (Read about "Microorganisms") can invade the lungs when there's a viral infection like influenza."

Denver, one of the CDC's active bacterial core surveillance sites, offers a prime example of those elevated numbers. The Mile High City has had a five-year average of 20 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease during the month of October, but in October 2009, Denver had 58 cases.

Schuchat said it is likely other U.S. cities that have less intense surveillance are experiencing similar increases.

In a typical year, the majority of invasive pneumococcal disease is seen in the elderly, but two-thirds of the Denver cases occurred in adults ages 20-59 years. The majority of patients had underlying health conditions, Schuchat said.

Schuchat said vaccination (Read about "Immunizations") is the best way to protect against serious pneumococcal infections, but only one-fourth of high-risk adults younger than 65 have received the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, or PPSV.