This study shows that introduction of the conjugate pneumococcal vaccine reduced the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease and eliminated racial differences in the incidence rates of the disease in young children in Tennessee.

This study shows the effect of the vaccination program for young children against pneumococcal disease in the population of a large HMO: decrease in the incidence of the disease and decrease in antibiotic-resistant pneumococci.

PCV7 vaccination of young children has resulted not only in lower rates of invasive pneumococcal disease but also a lower proportion of strains which are resistant to antibiotic in children less than as well as in persons older than 2 years of age.

This study shows that the recommendation for universal PCV7 vaccination has resulted in a decline of childhood invasive pneumococcal disease in Massachusetts.