Pneumococcal infections are dominant health problem of the populations of all continents. Around the world diseases associated with
a pneumococcal infections are the cause of death of approximately 1.6 million people a year, including approximately half a million children
under 5 years of age. The cause of these deaths is mainly pneumonia, rather that the much less common invasive pneumococcal disease
(IPD). Children up to 2 years of age could be protected against IPD with two conjugate vaccines. PCV10 and PCV13 vaccines cover respectively
48.7% and 74.4% of all IPD cases up to 2 years of age (www.koroun.edu.pl). However, for the protection against pneumococcal pneumonia,
sinusitis and recurrent acute otitis media (AOM) mucosal immunity is required. PCV13 vaccine provides protection of the mucous membranes,
in particular by reducing pneumococcal carriage, thereby inhibiting the spread of infection to the entire population. This results in a decrease
in the incidence of invasive and non-invasive pneumococcal infections in all age groups – vaccination produces herd immunity. On the other
hand, introduction of universal vaccination with the PCV10 vaccine, which has a limited ability to reduce the carriage, is the cause of increased
infections with antibiotic-resistant 19A serotype in the population of patients over 2 years old, observed in countries where PCV10 is administered.
The Paediatric Group of Experts on the Protective Vaccinations Programme by the Minister for Health recommends that the PCV13 vaccine be included
in the mandatory vaccinations programme in children up to 2 years of age, considering the widest range of protection that it provides as well as the
health benefits for the whole unvaccinated population.