Childhood protection against pneumonia

Getting your child vaccinated is one of the best ways to protect them against serious diseases. Pneumonia is infection of the lungs and can be caused by pneumococcal disease.

Pneumococcal disease is caused by a bacterium known as Streptococcus pneumoniae or pneumococcal bacteria. This bacterium has many different strains or types that can cause a number of conditions, which include acute otitis media, meningitis (infection of the membranes around the brain and spine), septicaemia (blood poisoning) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs).

The most vulnerable to this disease are the very young, older people and those where infection is more common because of underlying conditions.

In September 2006, the Department of Health introduced a pneumococcal vaccination available to all children under two years of age, as part of the national childhood immunisation programme.

You should make sure your child receives all their routine childhood vaccinations, as it is the most effective way of keeping them protected against infectious diseases.

Click here to view our interactive wheel, showing the current routine childhood vaccinations.

Is it pneumonia?

Pneumonia is often thought as a disease of the elderly but children can also suffer as their immune systems are still developing.

To see what symptoms to look out for click here.

You also can check whether you or members of your family are at risk of getting pneumonia by clicking here.

Points to remember

• Children of smokers are at greater risk from pneumonia