New focus on vaccines to combat rising child pneumonia mortality

Despite progress, pneumonia remains a leading killer of children worldwide. Experts highlight the importance of pneumococcal vaccines in reducing fatalities and combating related health issues.

Coughing and shortness of breath in children are not always signs of a routine cold. They can point to pneumonia, a serious lung infection that causes the tiny air sacs in the lungs to fill with fluid or pus, making breathing harder and reducing oxygen intake. The World Health Organization says pneumonia can be caused by viruses or bacteria and remains the leading infectious killer of children worldwide.

The disease is especially dangerous for young children, who are more vulnerable to severe illness and complications. WHO data show pneumonia accounted for 14% of deaths in children under five in 2019, and an estimated 740,180 children in that age group died from the disease that year. More recently, the UN and WHO said 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, underscoring how slowly progress on child survival is moving.

Protection through vaccination is a central part of prevention. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, or PCVs, are designed to guard against Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common bacterial cause of childhood pneumonia, and WHO recommends them in childhood immunisation programmes, particularly in countries with high child mortality. The organisation says routine use of PCVs has sharply reduced serious disease caused by the serotypes included in the vaccines.

In Indonesia, the PCV schedule is given in three doses: at two months, three months and a booster at 12 months. The vaccine does more than help prevent pneumonia, as it also offers protection against invasive pneumococcal diseases such as meningitis and sepsis, and can reduce infections like middle-ear infection and sinusitis. The article also links vaccination with efforts to curb stunting, noting that repeated bouts of pneumonia can undermine nutrition and growth by draining a child’s energy and reserves.