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The most common consequence of infection with the corresponding bacteria is pneumonia. In rare cases, sufferers also develop a so-called invasive pneumococcal disease (IPE), which can cause serious consequences such as blood poisoning (sepsis) or inflammation of the meninges (meningitis). In 2022, 562 such cases were registered in Austria, and the infection was fatal in 49 people.
- Also read: Pneumococcus: The infection can end badly
Antibiotics as therapy
Pneumococcal disease can affect both old and young people; transmission occurs through droplet infection. The condition can generally be treated with antibiotics. However, the first antibiotic resistance was also detected in Austria in 2022.
Pneumococcal infections often occur as secondary infections after influenza and Covid-19 infections. “Such a multiple infection is therefore also associated with a more severe course of the disease, as has been known since the Spanish flu,” says Sigrid Haslinger, Vice President of the Austrian Association of Vaccine Manufacturers.
While immunization against the bacteria is available free of charge for infants and small children thanks to the Austrian children’s vaccination program, there is no public vaccination concept for adults: the vaccination rate for adults aged 18 and over is around 20 percent.
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Source: Nachrichten
