Rates of Acquisition of Pneumococcal Colonization and Transmission Probabilities, by Serotype, Among Newborn Infants in Kilifi District, Kenya

Abstract

Newborn infants in Kilifi have high rates of nasopharyngeal acquisition of pneumococci. Half of these acquisitions involve serotypes not included in any current vaccine. Several risk factors are modifiable through intervention. Newborns represent a consistent population of pneumococcus-naive individuals in which to estimate the impact of PCV on transmission.