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May 9, 2001

"Half of All Parents Can't Pick Pneumococcal"
Australian Associated Press (aap.com.au) (05/08/01); Rouse, Rada

Only 2 percent of 183 Australian parents with children under the age of four could supply information about pneumococcal disease, which can cause bacterial pneumonia, middle ear infections, and meningitis, according to a survey conducted for the Wyeth
pharmaceutical company.  The poll found that less than half of the parents had heard of the disease, and many confused it with other illnesses.  The pneumococcus bug causes about 70 cases of meningitis in infants each year, leads to about five deaths, and is the cause of about 1,300 hospital admissions for pneumonia in infants, says the Meningitis Center in Perth.  In advance of its release of a new vaccine against the bug, Wyeth and the Meningitis Center have teamed up to increase awareness about pneumococcal disease and its symptoms.  Symptoms include fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, and light sensitivity, with children under the age of five particularly at risk.

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