Rates of a life-threatening bacterial infection have surged to a 20-year high, according to the latest available data.
Recorded cases of invasive pneumococcal disease rose to 2,269 in 2023 and 2,258 by 17 December 2024, figures from the Department of Health and Aged Care’s National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System show.
They’re the highest rates since 2004 — and have prompted calls for the federal government to speed up the rollout of a new generation of vaccines that have been approved for use in Australia.
Rates of invasive pneumococcal disease are at their highest levels since 2004. Source: SBS News
What is pneumococcal disease?
Pneumococcal disease refers to a range of infections caused by a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Invasive pneumococcal disease occurs when that bacterium infects the lung, brain or bloodstream, respectively causing pneumonia or empyema, meningitis, or septicaemia.
Symptoms vary depending on the part of the body that’s been infected.
While only cases of invasive pneumococcal disease are recorded in Australia, paediatrician and infectious disease researcher Professor Peter Richmond noted other pneumococcal infections could also cause health problems.
“Invasive pneumococcal disease is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the impact of pneumococcal infections in Australia,” he said.
“For every confirmed case of invasive pneumococcal disease, there are hundreds of non-invasive infections such as bronchitis, sinusitis and middle ear infections that we don’t record and which leave children and the elderly suffering.”
How deadly is it?
Pneumococcal disease is a leading cause of serious illness and death among Australian children under two years old and adults older than 85 years of age.
Pneumococcal infections are typically treated with antibiotics.
But if treatment isn’t administered fast enough or the infection doesn’t respond to it, it can prove deadly within days.
Who’s most at risk?
Anyone can be impacted by pneumococcal disease, but young children and people aged 65 years and older are at a higher risk of severe illness than the general population.
Around a million children around the world are estimated to die every year due to pneumococcal disease.
In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience the highest rates of serious illness and death as a result of pneumococcal disease.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are at the highest risk of serious illness and death as a result of pneumococcal disease. Source: Getty / Tamati Smith
Why are cases surging now?
Experts say evolving pneumococcal strains, declining vaccination rates, and antibiotic resistance could be behind the increase in invasive pneumococcal disease cases.
“The challenge is three-fold,” Richmond said.
“It’s important to recognise that effective pneumococcal vaccination helps prevent antibiotic-resistant infections.”
The Immunisation Foundation of Australia (IFA) warned that given the sustained surge of invasive pneumococcal disease since the start of last year, the rise in cases could increase further in 2025.
Why can’t Australians access the new, TGA-approved vaccines?
Vaccination against pneumococcal disease is recommended for children aged under five, people of all ages with certain risk conditions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and over and non-Indigenous adults aged over 70.
Two vaccines are provided for free through the National Immunisation Program for people at higher risk of invasive pneumococcal disease.
Two other, new generation vaccines have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and recommended by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory committee, but they’re only available privately.
It’s something the IFA wants the government to change — and urgently.
IFA founder and director Catherine Hughes said: “New generation vaccines need to be rolled out through the National Immunisation Program without further delay.”
“Newer pneumococcal immunisations protect against more strains than the vaccines currently available, but a funding decision is mired in bureaucratic red tape.
“Invasive pneumococcal disease can cause permanent disability and even death. We have the tools to make a difference, and now is the time to ensure Australians at greatest risk of infection are protected.”
Australia’s pneumococcal vaccination program is currently under review.