Amongst the myriad of childhood vaccine success stories, the introduction of Prevnar 6 years ago to guard against infections stemming from the bacterium streptococcal pneumonia, has protected countless children from bacterial meningitis, pneumonia, and middle ear infections; this form of pneumococcal disease is the number one vaccine-preventable cause of death in children younger than five years of age. New research is providing an expanded version of the Prevnar vaccine that will include protection against many more strains or serotypes of Streptococcus pneumonia.

• Dr. Earl Rubin, Director of the McGill Pediatric Infectious Diseases Residency Program and microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital