March 19, 2024
OHT’s Ramanan Laxminarayan co-authored a Vaccine Value Profile for Klebsiella pneumoniae, a pathogen that primarily burdens neonates, young infants, and at-risk children, adolescents, and adults in sub-Saharan Africa. Vaccinating pregnant women against K. pneumoniae with a vaccine with 70 percent efficacy would prevent nearly 400,000 cases of neonatal sepsis and 80,000 neonatal deaths per year. These values are based on limited surveillance data but represent a substantial potential reduction in the burden of infection and mortality due to K. pneumoniae that could result from a vaccine administered to pregnant women. While research has shown that vaccines preventing drug-resistant infections (such as resistant strains of K. pneumoniae) could avert up to 4 million disability-adjusted life-years globally, further work must be done to elucidate the role of vaccines in the social and economic impacts of K. pneumoniae. Moreover, discussions regarding vaccine efficacy assessments and the path to vaccine licensure will determine the ease of implementing a K. pneumoniae vaccine among pregnant women and other vulnerable individuals.
Read the full Vaccine Value Profile, published in Vaccine, here.
