Objectives Pneumococcal disease burden remains substantial in settings where pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) uptake is low.In China, PCV13 (Prevenar 13, Pfizer) has been available since 2016 on the private market, however no studies to date have evaluated its effectiveness against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD).We aimed to evaluate the PCV13 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against vaccine-type IPD (VT-IPD) in Zhejiang, China in children aged 5 years. MethodsWe conducted a case-control study from 2018-2024 at three pediatric hospitals in Zhejiang, China.Eligible patients with laboratory-confirmed IPD due to serotypes included in PCV13 were enrolled as cases and matched 1:4 with community controls identified from the Zhejiang Provincial Smart Service Information System for Immunization Program, which also served as the source for vaccination history.PCV13 VE was calculated as (1 -odds ratio) 100% using conditional logistic regression, adjusted for influenza vaccination status.Results A total of 47 cases and 188 controls were included in the study.Among VT-IPD cases, 22 (47%) were male, median age was 25 months, and serotypes 19F (n=11), 6B (n = 8), and 6A (n = 7) were most common.Adjusted VE for 3 doses of PCV13 against VT-IPD was 964% (95% confidence interval 609, 995).4 Conclusions PCV13 is highly effective at preventing VT-IPD in children in China.Findings underscore PCV13's public health value and provide local evidence that could support decision-making for routine childhood immunization programme.
Liu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.