Rates of invasive pneumococcal disease, a serious bacterial infection, have reached a 20-year high in Australia, prompting calls for faster vaccine rollout.
Rates of a life-threatening bacterial infection have surged to a 20-year high, according to the latest available data. Recorded cases of invasive pneumococcal disease rose to 2,269 in 2023 and 2,258 by 17 December 2024, figures from the Department of Health and Aged Care's National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System show.
Around a million children around the world are estimated to die every year due to pneumococcal disease. In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience the highest rates of serious illness and death as a result of pneumococcal disease. Experts say evolving pneumococcal strains, declining vaccination rates, and antibiotic resistance could be behind the increase in invasive pneumococcal disease cases. "The challenge is three-fold," Richmond said.
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