How serious is pneumococcal disease in the U.S.?

Pneumococcal disease is a serious disease that causes much sickness and death. Before the dip in pneumococcal disease observed in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic (when measures to control COVID-19 reduced the incidence of several infectious diseases), an estimated 30,000 cases and 3,000 deaths from invasive pneumococcal diseases (bacteremia and meningitis) occurred in the United States. Children younger than age two years and adults age 50 years and older have the highest incidence of serious disease. Case-fatality rates are highest for pneumococcal meningitis and bacteremia, and the highest mortality occurs among older adults and patients who have underlying medical conditions.