Effect of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on nasopharyngeal carriage of vaccine serotypes in West Africa: a narrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4314/rasp.v8i1.2Keywords:
Pneumococcal carriage; Vaccine-type serotypes; PCV13; West Africa; Nasopharyngeal carriage; Systematic reviewAbstract
Assessing the impact of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) on nasopharyngeal carriage of pneumococcal vaccine types (VT) in West Africa allows us to monitor carriage dynamics. We conducted a narrative review of studies in West Africa to summarize the impact of PCV13 on VT carriage. Impact measures were estimated using indicators such as prevalence ratio, odds ratio and relative risk. From an initial pool of 72 articles, four studies met the criteria. The included studies spanned from 2000 to 2025. Since the introduction of PCV13 in 2011, there has been a consistent and substantial reduction in carriage of vaccine serotypes among children, the target population for vaccination, and among adults due to the indirect effect of conjugate vaccines. Estimates of reductions in VT carriage ranged from 30% to 74%. The introduction of PCV13 is associated with a significant and sustained decrease in nasopharyngeal carriage of vaccine pneumococcal serotypes in West Africa, heralding a reduction in VT-related morbidity and mortality.
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