Superbugs, or bacteria that are resistant to drugs such as antibiotics, are now considered to be a major health threat as they kill more than 20,000 people every year in the United States alone.
While the U.S. government is working hard to defeat them by creating a task force that oversees its control and giving rewards to those who can create vaccines or drugs that deal with these deadly bugs, one of the solutions may have been around for a long time now: pneumococcal vaccine.
The pneumococcal vaccine is used to fight a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is responsible for a variety of infections including pneumonia and meningitis. It is mandatorily given to children below 5 years old in 4 doses at different ages. The vaccine, called PCV13 (since it protects against 13 strains), which became available around 4 years ago, is first administered when the child is 2 months old, followed by 4, then 6. The last two shots are given once he or she reaches 12 and 15 months old.
The vaccine is so important that many schools consider it as a requirement before the child gets accepted in day care.
However, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vaccine does more than to protect the recipients from Streptococcus pneumoniae: it can also prevent infections from drug-resistant bacteria.
In fact, based on the data of the CDC, they have already met the goal of reducing the prevalence of superbugs as early as 2011 when they were able to decrease the number of cases per 100,000 children from 9.3 to only 3.5. The target under the Healthy People 2020 program was 6 cases.
The effectiveness also led to the modification of pneumococcal vaccine guidelines, especially among young adults and seniors. Based on the new rules, adults who are at least 65 years old need to receive PCV13 vaccine first then PPSV23 around 6 months to a year after. Men and women who are 19 years old and above with certain types of cancer or kidney problem have to take both vaccines as well.
