Preventable risk to babies

According to a survey by Pfizer and Parents Magazine, nearly one in four parents have never heard of invasive pneumococcal disease.

Invasive PD is an infection caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium, also known as pneumococcus. Infection can result in pneumonia, infection of the blood, middle-ear infection (otitis media), or bacterial meningitis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that pneumococcal disease is the world’s number 1 vaccine-preventable cause of death among infants and children younger than 5 years of age.