Background

Routine immunization with 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) was introduced in Kathmandu in 2015 with doses administered at 6 weeks, 10 weeks and 9 months of age. We assessed the impact of PCV10 on the prevalence of radiographic changes in children aged 2 months to 14 years with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia admitted to Patan Hospital, Kathmandu.

Methods

Digitalized chest radiographs were interpreted using standardized WHO criteria as primary endpoint pneumonia (PEP), other infiltrate or normal, by two specific readers. A third reader arbitrated upon all discordant results.

Results

From March 2014 to December 2018, 1755 children were enrolled, of whom 1692 (96%) had interpretable radiographs. The proportion of children with PEP decreased annually from 84/189 (44%) in 2014 to 105/414 (25%) in 2018 (p<0.001). PEP was associated with age, occurring in 247/1090 (22%) children <2 years of age, in comparison with 120/175 (69%) children ≥5 years of age (p<0.001), and carriage of PCV10 serotypes, occurring in 95/188 (51%) children with PCV10 carriage in comparison with 459/1504 (31%) children with non-PCV10 serotypes or no carriage (p<0.001).

Conclusions

The prevalence of PEP in children hospitalized with pneumonia decreased from 2014 to 2018 in association with the implementation of PCV10 immunization in Kathmandu.

Background

Routine immunization with 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) was introduced in Kathmandu in 2015 with doses administered at 6 weeks, 10 weeks and 9 months of age. We assessed the impact of PCV10 on the prevalence of radiographic changes in children aged 2 months to 14 years with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia admitted to Patan Hospital, Kathmandu.

Methods

Digitalized chest radiographs were interpreted using standardized WHO criteria as primary endpoint pneumonia (PEP), other infiltrate or normal, by two specific readers. A third reader arbitrated upon all discordant results.

Results

From March 2014 to December 2018, 1755 children were enrolled, of whom 1692 (96%) had interpretable radiographs. The proportion of children with PEP decreased annually from 84/189 (44%) in 2014 to 105/414 (25%) in 2018 (p<0.001). PEP was associated with age, occurring in 247/1090 (22%) children <2 years of age, in comparison with 120/175 (69%) children ≥5 years of age (p<0.001), and carriage of PCV10 serotypes, occurring in 95/188 (51%) children with PCV10 carriage in comparison with 459/1504 (31%) children with non-PCV10 serotypes or no carriage (p<0.001).

Conclusions

The prevalence of PEP in children hospitalized with pneumonia decreased from 2014 to 2018 in association with the implementation of PCV10 immunization in Kathmandu.

Background

S. pneumoniae is a major cause of bacterial pneumonia and an important cause of invasive bacterial disease (IBD) in children under-five years of age in Nepal. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV10, was introduced in 2015 with a 2+1 schedule.

Methods

We assessed the programmatic impact of PCV10 introduction using surveillance for nasopharyngeal (NP) colonisation, pneumonia and IBD. NP swabs from pneumonia inpatients and from healthy children, blood cultures from inpatients with suspected IBD, and chest x-rays from inpatient pneumonia cases were obtained over a 6-year period (2014-2019).

Results

The proportion of pneumonia cases with radiographic endpoint-consolidation (likely bacterial) was 34% lower (95%CI 19-46%) in 2018 compared with the pre-vaccine period (2014-2015). Vaccine serotype (VT) carriage in children under 2-years of age with pneumonia in 2019 was 78% lower (95%CI 30-93%) than in the pre-vaccine period.

Among healthy 6-23 month old children (urban and rural cohorts), VT-carriage declined 74% (95%CI 43-82%) by 2019. An increase in PCV13-additional-serotype carriage was seen in 2018 among rural-children (prevalence-ratio 1.65, 95%CI 1.17-2.32), but not urban-children.

Serotype 1 remains the dominant serotype detected in cases of invasive pneumococcal disease.

Conclusions

A decrease in prevalence of endpoint-consolidation-pneumonia and a decrease in vaccine-serotype circulation have been observed post PCV introduction in Nepal.

Background

S. pneumoniae is one of the most common causes of paediatric bacterial pneumonia. In low-income countries such as Nepal, CRP level and blood culture can be useful in diagnosis assessment. We assessed the association between CRP/blood culture, and pneumonia with end-point consolidation.

Methods

We included children less than 5 years of age admitted with suspected pneumonia to Patan Hospital in 2018 and 2019, whose chest xray, CRP level and blood culture were done. CRP levels >40 mg/dl were considered elevated.

Results

There was a significant difference (p<0.001) in CRP levels between EPC-pneumonia and non-EPC pneumonia cases with a median (IQR) CRP of 46.2 (16, 215) in 141 EPC-pneumonia cases and a median (IQR) CRP of 13 (4, 35) in non-EPC pneumonia cases. The sensitivity and specificity of CRP >40mg/dl to detect EPC pneumonia were 50% and 84% respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.727 indicating good discrimination between EPC-pneumonia and non-EPC pneumonia. Among the EPC-pneumonia cases, 62% had elevated CRP and 3.5% had S. pneumoniae positive blood cultures.

Conclusions

There was a significant association between CRP and EPC pneumonia. Blood culture had low sensitivity to detect bacterial pneumonia, nevertheless, CRP may be a useful tool in diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia.