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Countries with most pneumococcal and hib cases
11 Sep 2009 14:31:00 GMT
 Source: WHO

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Pneumonia is the biggest killer of children in the world despite easily available vaccines, both globally and within specific countries, researchers said in a new report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The first global numbers released in a decade show pneumonia kills more children than any other illness - more than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined, accounting for almost one in five under-5 deaths worldwide.

Each year 1.2 million children under age 5 die from Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae B or Hib, they found.

Data from the study show that in 2000, there were an estimated 14.5 million cases of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcal disease) worldwide and 826,000 children under 5 years of age died of the disease. Of the 14.5 million pneumococcal cases, 95 percent were attributable to pneumonia. While 51 percent of cases were found in Asia due to the high population, an estimated 54 percent of deaths were in Africa, where the lack of vaccines, a high prevalence of HIV infection and lack of access to medical care contributed to the death toll.

In 2000, only the USA had initiated routine use of pneumococcal vaccine. By August 2008, this expanded to include 24 high and two upper-middle income countries but did not include any from Africa or Asia. According to the study, these 26 countries accounted for less than 0.2 percent of global childhood pneumococcal deaths in 2000 and the children in these countries, on average, had a 40-fold lower risk of pneumococcal death than the children in countries not yet using the vaccine.

Findings from the Hib study indicate that in 2000, Hib caused approximately 8.1 million serious illnesses worldwide and caused 371,000 child deaths. As with pneumococcal disease, the greatest burden of Hib disease lies in Asia and Africa.

Highly effective and safe Hib vaccines have been available for almost 20 years. These vaccines have virtually eliminated serious Hib disease in the developed and developing countries in which they are in routine use. Widespread use of Hib vaccines was found to have a significant impact on the burden of the disease in the United States and Europe. The study indicates that among children born in 2000, approximately 338,000 Hib cases and 12,500 Hib deaths were averted by Hib vaccination.

Here is a table of the 10 countries with the greatest proportion of the world's pneumococcal cases. They are all in Asia and Africa and together account for 66 percent of cases.

The table also shows the 10 countries with the greatest number of Hib deaths.

A Simple Table

Country % of global Pneumococcal disease cases Country Number of Hib deaths in Year 2000
India 27 India 72,000
China 12Nigeria 34,000
Nigeria 5Democratic Rep of Congo 22,000
Bangladesh 4China 19,000
Indonesia 3Afghanistan 14,000
Ethiopia 3Pakistan 13,000
Democratic Rep of Congo 3 Bangladesh 12,000
Kenya 2Angola 9,000
Philippines 2Niger 8,000

Both studies were funded by the WHO, GAVI Alliance and the Vaccine Fund, and were undertaken through collaboration between scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the WHO, Geneva, and will be published in the Lancet on September 12.


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Last updated:Fri Sep 11 14:56:34 2009