The latest news in France before distribution of third-generation pneumococcal conjugate vaccines
Robert Cohen, Corinne Lévy, Emmanuelle Varon
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In 2023 in France, 15 valent- pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV15) have been recommended as alternatives to PCV13 for children < 2 years. PCV20 has been recommended for at-risk adults but not yet for infants, while PCV21 targets older adults. We endeavored to estimate the potential benefit of new pneumococcal vaccines in preventing invasive pneumococcal infections by comparing serotype extension to PCV13. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The National Reference Centre for Pneumococci distributed S. pneumoniae IPD serotypes from children and adults. RESULTS: In 2022, for children under 24 months, PCV15 and PCV20 ensured 10 % and 36 % more coverage against IPD than PCV13. For adults, PCV15, PCV20, and PCV21 covered up to 3 %, 26 %, and 50 % more IPD cases than PCV13. CONCLUSION: The new generation of pneumococcal vaccines could reduce the burden of invasive pneumococcal infections through serotype extension. Additional studies are needed in parallel to optimize their utilization and improve vaccine coverage in France.