Exceptional high number of IPD cases in winter season 2024–2025 in Belgium in concomitance with rise in vaccine serotypes
Lize Cuypers, Cato Dambre, Stefanie Desmet
Abstract
Following lifting of containment measures post-COVID, the number of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) infections continued to increase, reaching a record number last winter season 2024-2025 in Belgium. This exceptional increase is largely due to high numbers in (older) adults, and mainly an increase of vaccine serotype IPD. Over 95 % of IPD cases last winter could theoretically be prevented by vaccination. Cases of serotypes 12F, 14 and 4 were three or more times higher compared to pre-COVID winter season 2019-2020.
Topics & Concepts
SerotypeWinter seasonBiologyPneumococcal diseaseSummer seasonViral diseaseVirologyVeterinary medicineWinter wheatVaccinationEpidemiologyGrowing seasonGeographyDemographyMedicinePneumococcal infectionsDiseaseRespiratory viral infections researchViral Infections and Immunology ResearchViral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology