Research Snapshot: Effective pneumococcal vaccination campaigns in displaced populations

This study aims to estimate the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines, if delivered in a single campaign, to improve child health before routine immunisation services can be restored.

The findings indicate that pneumococcal vaccines delivered at high coverage in a single dose one-off campaign to children up to at least five years old can provide substantial protection against pneumococcal disease in displaced populations. Partial protection in unvaccinated birth cohorts can be sustained for three to five years through herd protection. Campaigns targeting only children at highest risk for disease (those under two) are less effective and less efficient.

This snapshot contains key messages, findings, implications for humanitarian policymakers and practitioners and recommendations for further research.