Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine
This vaccine immunizes against pneumococcal diseases caused by pneumococcal bacteria. These can include Pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, Meningitis, and Bacteremia, an infection of the bloodstream. While most infections are mild, serious cases can cause long-term problems, including brain damage or hearing loss. Meningitis, Bacteremia, and Pneumonia caused by the pneumococcal disease can cause death.
Source: CDC
The Case For the Vaccine
The Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccine has successfully reduced the number of hospitalizations and severe illnesses stemming from Pneumococcal illnesses. The children of parents who declined pneumococcal immunizations were 6.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for invasive pneumococcal disease than vaccinated children.
Source: National Library of Medicine
The Case Against the Vaccine
Like a couple of other vaccines, there have been reports of elevated Guillain-Barré Syndrome occurrences post-vaccination. Additionally, some parents have a strong preference for natural immunity, rather than immunization-based immunity. Some of the available vaccines contain low levels of aluminum as an adjuvant. While this amount is deemed safe by experts, parents still struggle with the thought of introducing aluminum to their children via vaccine.
Source: CDC
Conclusion
This vaccine protects children from severe illnesses. Vaccinated children display lower levels of hospitalization from related illnesses, illustrating success. However, vaccine ingredients and potential severe side effects have clouded the vaccine’s reputation in the eyes of parents. Before deciding whether to vaccinate your child, we encourage you to research some of the side effects stemming from the vaccines, understand their frequency, and compare that frequency to the risk of dealing with the true illness.