FAILURE OF PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE IN CHILDREN WITH SICKLE-CELL DISEASE

POLYVALENT pneumococcal vaccines have recently been used in infants,1 children2 and adults.3 They are safe, immunogenic and protective against pneumococcal disease in normal adults.3 However, all pneumococcal serotypes are not represented in the vaccines, and the patient's response to specific types may not always confer protection. Shortly after licensure, reports of vaccine failure appeared in the literature.4 5 6 7 We shall describe two children with sickle-cell anemia who contracted pneumococcal sepsis or meningitis (or both) after vaccination with 14-valent pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Rahway, New Jersey). The failure of this vaccine to protect children with sickle-cell disease from pneumococcal. © 1979, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.