Incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in Cantabria, Spain, (1995-2001) and implications for the childhood inmunization schedule

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in Cantabria (Spain) between 1995 and 2001. METHOD: We reviewed the records of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) of public hospitals in Cantabria, discharges from private hospitals and the registry of diseases of mandatory reporting, as well as the microbiologic diagnoses and medical records of children discharged from the Pediatric Service of the Cantabria Hospital (the tertiary care hospital in our autonomous community). RESULTS: We obtained a meningitis incidence of 5.55, 5.03 and 0.76/100,000 in children or = 2 and or = 5 years respectively, and an incidence of invasive disease of 11.11, 11.32 and 1.49/100,000 in the same age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of meningitis and invasive pneumococcal disease in Cantabria is low. We discuss factors that should be taken into account when introducing the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the childhood immunization schedule of Cantabria.