PneumoCarr



Approximately one million children in the world die annually from acute respiratory infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). The problem is biggest in developing countries. A new vaccine developed against pneumococcus effectively prevents the most serious forms of disease and also reduces nasopharyngeal colonization with pneumococci. Due to high research and development costs, however, the vaccine is too expensive for developing countries at the moment.

The goal of the PneumoCarr project is to establish reduction of colonization as part of the licensure pathway. Based on a model of pneumococcal colonization, the KTL research group will develop new guidelines for determining vaccine efficacy for colonization. In addition, a simulation model of pneumococcal transmission will be developed to demonstrate the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination in different epidemiological settings. These tools will aid in the research of pneumococcal vaccines by providing a quick and inexpensive method for determining the efficacy and expected effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines.

The PneumoCarr project is funded by the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative and coordinated by the National Public Health Institute (KTL) of Finland. The project was launched in the beginning of 2006 and will last until the end of 2010. The PneumoCarr consortium’s nine collaborative institutions are from Finland, Australia, the Gambia, Great Britain, Israel, Kenya, the Philippines, South Africa, and the USA.