Pneumococcal Disease – A Guide for Healthcare Professionals
Anyone can contract Pneumococcal disease, though some groups are at heightened risk. The disease is caused by the bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). Infection usually starts with a colonising event in the nose and throat, which is asymptomatic, and most infections do not amount to anything beyond colonisation. Some, however, spread locally or invasively to cause disease.
The 2020 Pneumococcal Disease – A Guide for Healthcare Professionals provides useful information about clinical features of the disease, as well as information on transmission, antibiotic resistance, and vaccination recommendations. This guide is available below and includes the changes to the National Immunisation Program (NIP) that came into affect on 1 July 2020. For further information on these changes see the Australian Immunisation Handbook.
Click on the icon below to view or download Pneumococcal Disease – A Guide for Healthcare Professionals.
