Pneumococcal disease is a collective term for about 90 diseases caused by pneumococcal bacteria. The bacteria are usually inside your nose and throat. They will not usually make you ill, but you can infect others by coughing, sneezing or kissing. 

Pneumococcal disease can cause middle ear infection, sinusitis and bronchitis, but it can also lead to severe pneumonia, meningitis or blood poisoning. These serious forms of pneumococcal disease can result in death. Babies receive 3 vaccinations against pneumococcal disease before their first birthday. 

Factsheet on pneumococcal disease

How does the bacteria spread?

From sneezing, coughing or kissing

Common symptoms

In babies and children: ear infection, sinusitis, bronchitis. In older people: pneumonia

Serious symptoms in babies and children

Pneumonia, meningitis or blood poisoning

Which vaccinations protect against this disease? 

Pneumococcal vaccination

Almost everyone has an infection involving pneumococcal bacteria at some point in their lives. The bacteria are usually found in the nose and throat without making you ill. In a small percentage of cases, the bacteria move further into the body, infecting the ears or lungs. If that happens, young children often develop ear infections, sinusitis and/or bronchitis; adults usually get pneumonia.  

In an even smaller percentage of cases, the bacteria enter the blood stream and cause blood poisoning or meningitis. You may experience shortness of breath, pain when breathing, headache, a stiff neck, confusion and/or loss of consciousness. Besides fever or unusually low temperatures, babies may also suffer from nappy pain (pain during nappy changing). They are irritable, drowsy and may look pale or grey. 

Serious health problems caused by pneumococcal disease include meningitis, blood poisoning and severe forms of pneumonia. This often starts with high fever or unusually low body temperature. After that, your illness quickly becomes much worse. Between 10 and 20% of people with severe pneumococcal disease die of it.

Especially children under 2 years of age, older people over 65, and people with impaired immunity have the highest risk of becoming ill from a pneumococcal infection.

The pneumococcal vaccination protects babies against 10 types of pneumococci. These 10 types are the main causes of pneumococcal disease in young children. Read more about vaccination against pneumococcal disease, or read  how vaccination works

If you have pneumococcal disease, you can be treated with antibiotics. But not everyone recovers fully. Delayed treatment or serious illness may lead to permanent effects. In children, for example, it involves deafness, epilepsy or paralysis. Adults are more likely to have heart and/or lung problems. Death is also possible.

Since 2006, vaccination against pneumococcal disease has been included in the National Vaccination Program. The number of children under the age of 5 in whom the bacteria enter the blood or the meninges subsequently decreased from about 200 to 70 children per year. The disease is also slightly less common in other (unvaccinated) age groups due to group protection. Every year there are approximately 150 cases of meningitis in the Netherlands. 

There were fewer reports of pneumococcal disease in 2020 than in other years. This may be due to the corona measures.