Effect of vaccination on morbidity and mortality from community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Background. Community-acquired pneumonia remains one of the most common and life-threatening forms of pathology among respiratory diseases.The aim of the study. To identify the features of the epidemiology of communityacquired pneumonia in the conditions of mass immunization against pneumococcal infection in the Irkutsk region.Materials and methods. We conducted a descriptive epidemiological retrospective study. We studied the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia (including community-acquired pneumonia of bacterial and viral etiology) and mortality from this disease in the Irkutsk region for 2011–2022 according to statistical reporting forms No. 2, No. 5, No. 6, C51.Results. The incidence of community-acquired pneumonia during the observation period remained at a high level: the long-term annual average rate among the total population was 627.3 [467.8÷786.8]. At the same time, there was a persistent decrease in the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia of bacterial etiology (Tdecrease = 6.8 %). Incidence rates of community-acquired pneumonia of bacterial etiology were distributed unevenly over  the  years and  the  compared population groups. The highest levels were recorded in children in 2018–2019 – 12.3 [10.8÷13.8] and 19.3 [17.8÷20.8], respectively. A decrease in the mortality rate from community-acquired pneumonia among children, adults and in the general population in 2020 was  shown, with a  subsequent increase in  the  rate among adults and  the  general population by  2.5  times. Against the  background of  ongoing immunization of the population against pneumococcal infection, there is a statistically significant decrease in the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia, including communityacquired bacterial pneumonia, and mortality from community-acquired pneumonia among different population groups.Conclusion. Despite the high incidence of community-acquired pneumonia, a statistically significant decrease in the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia of  bacterial etiology has been shown among children and  adults. The  decrease in mortality from community-acquired pneumonia has continued since the introduction of immunization against pneumococcal infection. The results of the study can be used to optimize epidemiological surveillance and epidemiological control of community-acquired pneumonia at the regional level.