Affiliations: [a] University Hospital of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica | [b] National Public Health Laboratory, Kingston, Jamaica | [c] Cornwall Regional Hospital, St. James, Jamaica | [d] Jamaica Bustamante Hospital for Children, Kingston, Jamaica | [e] University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Rohan Willis, Antiphospholipid Standardization Laboratory, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, 122 6th Street, 2.108 Brackenridge Hall, Galveston, TX 77555-0883, USA. Tel.: +1 409 599 2682; Fax: +1 409 539 7581; E-mail: rowillis@utmb.edu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal serotypes circulating in any population vary over time and between countries and impacts the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the epidemiology of pneumococcal disease in Jamaica. METHODS:Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates (n= 349) along with demographic and clinical information were collected from patients presenting at the 4 major hospitals in Jamaica over a 2-year period. Serotyping was done using latex agglutination tests and the Quellung reaction assay. RESULTS: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence was 45.4/100,000 in children under 5 yrs and 16.3/100,000 in adults over 65 yrs. Thirteen serogroups were identified among the 120 isolates subjected to grouping; the most common being serogroups: 19 (22/120,18.3%), 6 (20/120,16.7%), 14 (20/120,16.7%), 23 (18/120,15.0%), 3 (11/120,9.2%) and nontypeable (8/120,2.3%). The estimated vaccine coverage rates for the PCV7 and PCV13 vaccines in children less than 5 yrs were 82.5% and 88.7% respectively. The 23-valent PPV23 provided 100% coverage rate in adults over 65 yrs and 82.9% coverage rate for the entire population. CONCLUSIONS: Pneumococcal vaccine coverage rates in Jamaica are comparable to those reported in certain developed countries and higher than in other developing countries. The high incidence of IPD in the paediatric population indicates that routine vaccination would be beneficial.
