Childhood empyema: Limited potential impact of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

During 2003-2004, locally presenting pleural empyema cases in children increased 3-fold. Antigen analysis of empyema fluid identified Streptococcus pneumoniae in 27 of 29 cases for whom samples were available and capsular polysaccharide type I in 18 of these. Use of a conjugate vaccine without serotype I antigen would have had limited impact on this morbidity in our region.