Burden of invasive pneumococcal disease and serotype distribution among Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in young children in Europe: Impact of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and considerations for future conjugate vaccines
OBJECTIVES: The overall reported burden of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) varies among countries in Europe. This review describes the epidemiology and serotype distribution of IPD in European children from studies published from 1990 to 2008. METHODS: Averages were derived from all studies from all countries that had available data. RESULTS: Before widespread immunization with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), the overall mean annual incidence of IPD in children aged /=2mg/l), 41% for erythromycin, and 9% (