Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Hospitalizations due to pneumococcal disease, including invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and pneumonia, contribute to capacity strain at hospitals but are largely preventable through vaccination. In Norway, the current standard in the Childhood Immunisation Programme is the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), which has substantially reduced disease burden. However, higher-valent PCVs such as PCV15 and PCV20 offer broader serotype coverage and can further reduce hospitalizations. This analysis estimates the number of hospitalizations and hospital days that could be averted by implementing pediatric PCV20 compared to PCV13 and PCV15 in Norway.
METHODS: A Markov model was adapted to estimate the number of hospitalizations due to IPD and pneumonia averted by PCV20, PCV15, and PCV13. Population data were informed by Norwegian national statistics and epidemiology inputs were sourced from published literature, using Norwegian-specific data where available. The model used PCV13 clinical effectiveness and impact studies as well as PCV7 efficacy studies for higher-valent vaccine direct and indirect effect estimates. The number of averted hospitalizations was translated to hospital days averted using average length of stay data. Outcomes are reported for the entire Norwegian population (N=5,594,340).
RESULTS: Compared to PCV13, PCV20 was estimated to avert an additional 41,211 pneumonia and 2,080 IPD hospitalizations over 10 years, which translates to over 265,000 hospital days avoided. Compared to PCV15, PCV20 would avert an additional 23,811 pneumonia and 1,219 IPD hospitalizations, which translates to over 153,000 hospital days avoided.
CONCLUSIONS: Replacing PCV13 with PCV20 in Norway’s Childhood Immunisation Programme could significantly reduce hospital burden compared to replacing PCV13 with PCV15. These findings support the inclusion of PCV20 in national immunization schedules to reduce pneumococcal disease burden and associated hospital strain.